Playing With Fire
by faded colors
Summary: 'Emi was rather delightful, she was beautiful, funny, sweet, and perhaps if Shigure hadn't been cursed his entire life he would strive to build a true relationship with that woman, but Shigure was cursed, in more ways than one. And this sweet girl had no idea what she was dealing with, and she wouldn't until it was too late.' Shigure/OC
1. The Wolf

_Looky here looky here _

_Ah what do we have?_

_Another pretty thing ready for me to grab_

_But little does she know I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing_

'_Cause at the end of the night it is her I'll be holding_

- Bruno Mars. _Runaway Baby_

**CHAPTER 1: The Wolf**

Cheap drinks and cigarette smoke. Not exactly what Shigure imagined when Aaya said 'let's go out', but it didn't really matter. He needed out of that house, even if it did mean sitting in some no name bar during what seemed like a torrential downpour. The rain did have its perks though; it _was_ the fastest way to turn a woman's white blouse see-through. But alas, no women in see-through shirts were seeking refuge here; in fact hardly anyone was seeking refuge here.

Perhaps the atmosphere was so dull because it was five o'clock in the evening on a Wednesday. Women didn't tend to flock to bars scantily dressed until eight at the very earliest, but Hatori wouldn't have agreed to come if they had gone any later. He was such a party pooper. But Aayame more than made up for it, making sure to keep an eye out for any women inside or outside of the bar. There weren't many, and the ones that did walk by were…how to put it….not Shigure's _type_.

Too old, too thin, too big, too dull, too energetic, bad hair, bad clothes- Aayame and Shigure were capable of rattling off numerous things wrong with a woman without even blinking. But most of the time they over exaggerated, mostly in order to see the agitated expression that would flash across Hatori's face. "Have you two no shame?" the dragon would ask as he shook his head in disapproval, "She is a lovely woman," he would even defend the poor girl that had become the eye candy of the moment.

"Not as lovely as you my dear Aaya," Shigure would playfully tease, completely dismissing Hatori's comment.

"Oh Shigure," Aaya would moan as he leaned over Hatori, who had been sitting in between the two, in order to get closer to Shigure. Once the two were adequately close and sandwiching Hatori in between them, they would grin and move away while stifling almost girlish giggles.

And this is how it had been going, until the door chimed and she walked in. "She's cute," Aayame murmured quietly as he looked out of the corner of his eye at the woman who had just entered the bar.

"Stop right now," Hatori whispered, not even bothering to look at the girl, and instead just trying to save her from whatever comments these two would begin making.

Shigure knew that Aaya would say no more, now that Hatori had told him to stop, but that wasn't about to stop him. With one more swig of his alcoholic beverage Shigure cleverly pretended to stretch, turning his head to spot the woman who was currently walking towards the bar. He supposed she _was_ cute, in a disheveled, soaking wet, sort of way. The woman's hair was black, and drenched from the rain which made her bangs cling to her forehead as if they were a part of her skin. A black briefcase bag hung over her right shoulder and settled over her left hip. She wore a black tweed pencil skirt, paired with a baby blue button up top and black high heels, all of which were simply soaked. And still her shirt managed to maintain its opacity, what a shame.

"No comments?" Hatori was simply taunting Shigure, and so the dog figured he best comply and give his thoughts.

"Pretty," Shigure honestly replied as he turned to face Hatori, noticing the slight shock in his face, "But her hips are wide, and her breasts seem to only be a," at this he looked back towards the woman, who was standing at the end of the bar, tapping her fingernails on the counter, "Medium to large A-cup perhaps, which I suppose is acceptable, but _still_."

"Oh Gure, I don't know what you're talking about, she is simply adorable, with that heart shaped face of hers, and those big brown eyes, she reminds me of a baby deer," apparently this was a compliment coming from Aaya, who was still watching the twenty something woman.

Artificial hurt flashed across Shigure's face as he let his head fall, "Ah! I see you have found another!"

"No, you are my one and only!"

Before Shigure could respond and further annoy Hatori, the bartender's loud laugh filled the room. "Oh look who the rain dragged in," the older gentleman laughed as he walked towards the woman, who had a small smile adorning her face, "And no umbrella I see, you know you'll get sick," his fatherly tone had the woman rolling her eyes as she leaned onto the bar.

"I didn't know it would rain today," she replied as she ruffled her bangs, trying to bring some life to them, but it was useless.

"Well you still look lovely as ever."

Shigure wasn't sure if the bartender was trying to hit on this young woman, but he truly hoped that he wasn't. This man was just too old for such a young beauty, but judging by the woman's expression Shigure assumed that the two simply knew each other and that is why they were acting so friendly. Either way Shigure had made his mind up, and his grey eyes were set upon the woman. He needed to liven this afternoon up, and here opportunity had presented itself wearing a short tweed skirt.

"I look like a wet dog," the woman murmured, which instinctively made Shigure smirk. Not only at the reference to being a 'dog' but also to referring to herself as 'wet', oh the joys of a dirty mind.

"Well I take it you want the usual?" the bartender asked after he let out another chuckle, which was more laughter than the trio had heard in their entire visit to this establishment. Maybe he was flirting with her.

"Yes please," the woman responded with a grin, her white teeth a contrast against her slightly tan skin and black hair. Once the bartender had left to go get whatever 'the usual' was, Shigure had his opportunity.

But first he needed to think of a good opening line. As he did he studied her face and the rest of her intently. She seemed a decent height, but even so half of her body was hidden by the bar, which made it impossible for Shigure to give her the proper 'up and down'. He had been looking at her for a few moments now, and then she finally seemed to sense his gaze. Her eyes flickered to meet his, but as soon as she realized that Shigure had been staring she looked elsewhere, obviously flustered. Shigure now had his opening line, but before he could say anything her eyes met his once more, and a timid "_Yes_?" left her mouth.

"Huh?" the confusion came more from the fact that Shigure hadn't imagined her to say anything. He had never really been confronted about his blatant admiring of a woman before.

"You were staring at me," she said, but Shigure's expression remained the same, and then he noticed her turn and look behind her at the TV screen that hung in the corner of the bar and a look of embarrassment overtook her, "Oh I'm sorry, maybe you weren't. I mean there are a lot of things you could have been looking at, like the TV, or the pictures on the wall, or," she was rambling, it was cute and Shigure felt the smile come to his face, "And I need to shut up now," she finished once she noticed his smirk.

"There do seem to be a lot of things to look at in here," Shigure said lowly as he stood up and began moving towards her, noticing how she kept her eyes glued onto him, "But I'll admit that you caught me admiring you."

The woman's brown eyes went wide for a moment, but she was quick to gain her composure, "Does he do this a lot?" her question wasn't directed at Shigure, instead she had leaned over, looking past him and was now addressing Hatori and Aayame.

The two didn't even need a moment to think about it before they simultaneously answered, "Yes."

"Oh you two hurt me, cuts like a knife it does!" Shigure dramatically sighed, not appreciated his friend's response, honest or not Aayame and Hatori were doing a horrible job of being wingmen, "Pay no attention to them, they are simply jealous."

Her laugh was small and breathy, and as soon as the first giggle left her lips she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, "Well I did notice you exchanging romantic glances with your friend there," she said as looked at Aayame, "And I don't want to make him jealous, so maybe you should stop flirting with me."

_So she did notice us_, Shigure's ego was currently inflating at the thought that she had seen them upon entering the bar, "Aren't you a bit presumptuous?"

"Big word," she said with fake awe, and Shigure had to admit that this girl was quick. Witty banter was his forte, and it appeared that she could keep up with him- interesting, and very attractive.

"Well it does describe your behavior, thinking me a flirt and all. Perhaps I just wanted to have an engaging conversation with you."

"Perhaps," she whispered slowly and then turned her gaze back to Hatori and Aayame, "Do you think he's flirting with me?"

_Why does she insist on asking their input?_ Shigure thought sourly as he turned to give his friends a stern look. Good friends would stick up for him, lie even, but then again Aaya and Hari weren't just his good friends. They were his best friends, and for that reason they would enjoy throwing Shigure under the bus.

"Shamelessly flirting," the smirk on Hatori's face proved Shigure's logic; it was only natural for the doctor to be scathingly honest.

"But who could blame him!" Aaya may of thought this would make it better, but it didn't, and Shigure assumed the woman would roll her eyes, or simply leave.

Shigure had enough flirting experience to know that women only had so many responses to being approached by a random guy. They would either: ignore him, insult him, shamelessly flirt back with him, or throw themselves at him. Okay, maybe the last one never happened, but a guy could dream right? Either way this girl obviously wasn't following the typical pattern, and now that Shigure was currently lying under the bus (courtesy of Hatori and Aayame), he assumed this woman would cease their banter.

Instead he heard her laugh again, that airy laugh of hers, "Their funny," she wasn't insulting his friends, in fact she seemed completely genuine as she tried to stifle her laugh, "No really," she must have seen the disbelief on Shigure's face, "You have cool friends."

_Cool_, now Shigure hadn't heard _that_ adjective in a while. And maybe it wouldn't have been as funny if this woman had been twelve, but she must have been in her twenties, younger than him, but still old enough to think of a better adjective than _cool_.

"Why are you laughing?"

He had been trying to keep it in, but the chuckles were seeping their way out of Shigure's mouth, "Nothing," he breathed, "It's just that they are _cool_, aren't they," and now the laughs were coming out in full force, and the woman could easily tell that both her and Hatori and Aayame were being made fun of.

"Yes they are," she stuck her nose up into the air, but this arrogant attitude didn't seem to suit her very well, "Cooler than you."

"Oh you have no idea," Shigure's laughter finally came to a halt as he leaned in towards her, "I am much _much_ more than just _cool_," judging from the slight blush that stained her cheeks, he had her right where he wanted her.

She must have found him charming, and surprisingly enough she found both him and his friends endearing, "So," Shigure was now merely inches away from her, his grey eyes boring down into her brown ones, "What's your name?" the question came out in merely a whisper, and her blush deepened.

"Well, I can't" her voice became soft, an air of seductiveness taking over her demeanor as she batted her eyelashes up at him. _Damn_, Shigure thought with a smirk noticing how easily this girl could turn on the sex appeal.

"Why my dear?" he purred as his eyes strayed from her face and caught sight of her chest.

"Stranger danger!" the loudness of her voice shocked Shigure, sending him staggering backwards as he tried to process what just happened, "You sir could be a serial killer for all I know, preying on innocent women while your friends beg you to turn your life around," she said this with such a straight face that if she hadn't smiled at the end of it Shigure would have thought she seriously thought he was a murderer.

Shigure took a moment to just look at the woman, who managed to snap out of sex kitten mode in a blink of an eye. _Interesting_. He had never had a challenge like this before, a woman who was willing to play the game with him. Of course he had also never been accused of being a serial killer.

"I hope these guys aren't giving you any trouble," the bartender appeared in the midst of the silence, his eyes glaring at the three musketeers. In his hand was a to-go bag, which he placed on the counter in front of the nameless woman.

"Oh no, not at all," if she wanted to she probably could have had the three of them kicked out of the bar, but instead she dismissed the bartenders accusations, "What do I owe you?"

"It's on the house, for your troubles," the bartender was obviously referring to Shigure, who was still standing relatively close to the girl.

"Thanks Ryo," the woman smiled as she took the bag off the counter, preparing to leave this fine establishment.

"Wait," Shigure ignored the bartender's glare and placed his mouth next to her ear, "I never got your name," he whispered, noticing how her body tensed up at the feeling of his warm breath against her cold skin.

"Sorry _stud_," she grinned as she backed away, using yet another term Shigure hadn't heard in quite a while, "But I can't," she shrugged, still walking backwards.

"Have a good evening Emi!" Ryo called as he watched his longtime customer moving towards the door.

"Emi," Shigure smirked as he said her name, noticing how she stopped in her tracks and let out a sigh, "Well Emi I'm-"

"No!" she snapped as she placed her index finger in front of her lips, "Shhh, don't," her hand dropped back down her side, "It was _really_ nice meeting you."

"But you don't know my name, therefore we haven't technically met."

"That's fine," her feet once again began slowly moving backwards, towards the exit.

"You don't want to know my name?" Shigure tried to use fictitious anguish to guilt Emi into allowing him to speak his name.

"No, no," she waved her hands in front of her, the bag swaying in her hand, "I do, but it'll ruin it."

"Ruin what?" Shigure raised an eyebrow as he noticed the mischievous look Emi was giving him.

"You're nice," she complimented, "You guys too," her eyes switched to Aayame and Hatori, "But I have to go," her back hit the door as she began pushing it open, walking out into the rain without any regard for it, "If we meet again then you can tell me your name okay?"

"O…kay?" Shigure watched as the rain hit the woman's head, soaking her once again, but the smile on her face made it seem like the sun was shining overhead.

"Good," she nodded, "Bye Ryo!" she gave the bartender a small wave, which he returned, "Bye stranger," her eyes lingered on Shigure for a bit, and then she was gone, the door closing behind her as she made her way down the street.

Things became oddly silent once Emi left, not to say the bar had been overly loud before she arrived, but now it just felt _empty_. Shigure stayed standing there, staring at the door, for a few moments, his mind still trying to compute everything that just happened. Eventually though he made his way back to his seat next to Hatori, who as actually the first to break the silence.

"She's a smart girl."

"What do you mean?" Aayame had other adjectives he would use to describe the woman known as Emi, but he didn't know if there was enough evidence to give her such praise and call her smart.

"She knew Shigure's game, and wasn't about to fall victim to it. The banter they shared was refreshing, and she obviously enjoyed it, but she didn't want it to be too personal. Instead she will simply remember that man she met in a bar, no name, but he managed to make her laugh."

"Wow Hari," Aayame breathed, "That was beautiful. But too bad Shigure will probably never see her again," he pouted.

"No," Hatori looked at Shigure, who's gaze was flickering between the bar in front of him and the door to his left, "It is a good thing that she will never interact with him again. And you should do your best to just forget about her Shigure."

Shigure stayed silent for a moment as he turned and looked at one of his oldest friends, "Forget about who?" he said with a smile, pretending that he had already wiped that woman from his memory.

Hatori seemed to believe him, as he stood up and changed the subject to that of them leaving. But even though Shigure liked to believe the girl was far from his mind, as they walked outside into the rain he couldn't help but search the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman with the airy laugh named Emi.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So there it was, chapter 1 of Playing With Fire. I have a lot planned for this story and numerous twists and turns. This will be following the manga, but of course some events will be altered and not everything that occured in the manga will occur in this story. I really hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and please make sure to leave a review. Thanks!


	2. The Fawn

_Here's the thing, I was mindin' my own business, doin' what I do_

_I wasn't tryin to look for anythin'_

_All of a sudden couldn't take my eyes off you_

_I didn't even know if you could tell_

_That you had me in a daze sayin' what the hell_

-Jennifer Lopez. _Do It Well_.

**CHAPTER 2: The Fawn**

"He can't really be _that_ bad."

"He's horrible, and there's no getting through to him either. I'm sorry I dragged you along, but I just couldn't go alone, I just couldn't!"

Mitchan looked like she was about to break down in tears, and Emi didn't know if she should be frightened or try to console her co-worker. The woman always seemed to be put together and professional at the office, but now Mitchan looked like she had reached a breaking point. It made sense though, in a weird way. For the past three months Emi had been stuck doing menial tasks at the office. Apparently the ladder of success was much longer than she expected, and you had to staple a million papers together before you go to the next rung. So when she was approached by a lead editor to begin helping Mitchan, she was a bit suspicious. It wasn't until two days ago that Emi heard about the infamous Shigure Sohma.

Prankster. Pervert. Never met deadlines. Ignored Mitchan. Cruel. Rude. Made Mitchan cry on an almost daily basis. And the solution to all of this was supposed to be Emi, although she didn't expect to be going with Mitchan to the author's house. In order to take some of the stress off of Mitchan, Emi would read through Shigure's manuscripts and edit them. There was nothing in the contract about accompanying Mitchan to his house to return the manuscript for corrections.

"What does he look like?" Emi nonchalantly asked.

"Why?"

Emi took a moment to figure out how to phrase her response without sounding mean. It was just that she had spent the last day reading through the manuscript, and the subject matter was rather…erotic. In fact it made Emi blush numerous times, but it was her job, so no page went unturned, no paragraph left unread. It was no wonder she had never heard of Shigure Sohma, or his pen name, because she had never read such smut. Okay…maybe one or two books, but that was back in high school, and she was allowed to skip pages back then.

Anyway, once Emi had finished reading it, she began wondering what this man looked like. And she couldn't help but picture him as a middle aged, balding man with a round stomach and thick glasses. She knew that this was some stereotypical image, and she didn't want to have to explain this to Mitchan, so she figured it was best to just drop it.

"Never mind," Emi said with a shake of her head, "I guess I'll find out soon enough," but she was pretty sure she would be right. And even if she was wrong, she couldn't imagine this guy being very attractive, _nothing_ close to the guy she met at the bar two days ago.

And just like that Emi's mind went into overdrive, reliving every moment she shared with that mystery man. It was actually rather annoying, thinking about someone so much that she barely knew, but she couldn't help it. He was perhaps the most attractive man she had _ever_ seen, even in that yukata. And his friend's weren't bad either, but jeez that man had the best genetic scheme she had ever seen.

"You're doing it again."

"Huh?" Emi's body slightly jumped as she looked over at Mitchan, noticing how the woman was staring at her with beady eyes.

"Are you thinking about that guy again?"

Truth be told Emi wasn't sure _why_ she told Mitchan about the guy at the bar. Maybe it's because Mitchan just had that trustworthy face, or maybe it's because she was just so excited about it she wanted to tell everyone who would listen, but either way Mitchan now knew about the nameless man.

"He must have been wonderful," Mitchan sighed, her mind drifting away from her upcoming mental breakdown, "To have a handsome man approach you so suddenly, if only," her face suddenly turned sour as her head dropped, "But I don't even have time to go out and meet a nice handsome man, because I am stuck trying to keep both me and Shigure employed."

"It's okay Mitchan," Emi placed a gentle hand on her co-worker's back, "I'm sure you'll meet someone soon."

"Not as long as I'm Shigure Sohma's editor."

The mood quickly went back to being one of depression and anxiety, and it was beginning to rub off on Emi. The way Mitchan described this man, he sounded like an absolute _monster_. Emi liked to think she was emotionally stronger than Mitchan, but what if this man drove her to tears, what if she ended up like Mitchan? _Oh dear God I hope not_, she thought as she looked over at the frantic woman, who was trying her best to refrain from crying.

"Okay, we're almost there," Mitchan sounded horrified, as if she were walking towards her death, "Prepare yourself Emi."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," actually Emi had no way of knowing how this would go, she was only supposed to read this guy's work, not actually deal with him, "Just be strong."

"Yeah…._strong_, well here goes nothing."

Things went silent as the home came into view, the path they were walking on leading right up to the front door. It looked quaint; besides the out of the way location it was rather normal. But according to Mitchan a monster was lurking behind those walls, and most likely was wearing a toupee. No one was in sight, though, until Mitchan timidly knocked on the door, "Shigure," she called, "You there?"

The door opened rapidly, and standing there was a young man with dark silver hair and deep purple eyes. He did look mature, but Emi was pretty sure that this high-schooler was too young to be a novelist. His eyes scanned over Mitchan and Emi, recognition coming to his gaze as he saw the former and slight confusion as he saw the latter.

"Please! Please tell me he's here!" Mitchan was nearly begging, and Emi wondered how the woman wasn't even a little bit embarrassed with her actions.

"Shigure!" the young man called, "You have a visitor," Emi took a mental note of how the boy didn't actually say that it was his editor at the door. The rumors about Shigure ignoring Mitchan must be true, even this kid knew it.

"Who is it!?" the response came in the form of a tune, the man's voice meeting the women's ears.

"I don't know," the young man lied, but before another response was received a cute looking girl walked past the front door, stopping in her tracks to look at the two visitors.

"Good afternoon Mitchan," she said with a slight bow, and fear mixed with anguish meshed onto Mitchan's face.

"I know you're in there Shigure! Don't try running! I heard your voice!" Mitchan was now screaming frantically, her arms waving wildly in the air.

"Now now Mitchan, why would I run?" the voice that belonged to Shigure Sohma called, "And Yuki, I thought you said you didn't know who was at the door? You know Mitchan very well. Did you also have such little faith in me that you thought I would avoid her if I knew of her arrival?"

"Yes," the purple eyed boy named Yuki muttered, "Plus there is someone else at the door that I don't know," therefore he hadn't lied. The boy looked like he was about to introduce himself to Emi when he was joined at the door by Shigure Sohma, and dear heavens Emi was pretty sure she was going to faint.

The color drained from Emi's face so fast that her head was spinning. It was him. _It was him_. The guy from the bar is _the_ Shigure Sohma. And she had read his manuscript. His _perverted_ manuscript. Lines from the novel began resurfacing in her mind, and suddenly the color was coming back. Here she had thought the guy who wrote that novel was probably sexually inexperienced, romantically challenged, but now a new thought came into her mind. What if Shigure wrote from experience?

Either the temperature outside just rose or Emi was having a horrible hot flash from the embarrassment she was feeling. _Dirty thoughts get out of my head, please get out of my head_, the fact that she was currently talking to herself was a sign that she may be losing it, but then one thoughts snapped her out of it, _Stop it right now, you're acting like Mitchan and you __**don't**__ want that!_

As Emi was trying to stay as calm as possible in this situation, she noticing Shigure's eyes flick over towards her, and then look back to Mitchan. Emi thought that perhaps he didn't recognize her, which she had to admit stung a bit. But then his eyes went back to her, starting from her feet and working their way up, and that's when he realized who she was, "It's you," he breathed with the slyest smirk on his face.

All eyes turned to Emi, who was willing herself to not turn beet red again, and also think of something clever to say, but all she could come up with was, "It's me," which did elicit a chuckle from Shigure.

"I guess fate did bring us back together," he was obviously referencing to Emi's antics in the bar, where she refused to let him tell her his name unless they met again. Which Emi thought would never happen, because guys like _this_ just don't exist in real life. Handsome, funny, witty guys don't belong in everyday life, but here he was, standing there as if he owned the place.

_He does own the place Emi_, she mentally scorned herself as she realized she was going to lose her composure again. It wasn't that she was necessarily embarrassed by his gaze or comment, but it was more of the fact that she couldn't believe this happened. What were the odds that the guy she met in the bar was Shigure Sohma? Honestly, Emi figured that if she was going to start having such good luck she should quit her job and just start gambling.

"Aren't you presumptuous?" Emi crossed her arms over her chest, noticing how confused everyone else seemed to be, "I don't know if it was fate, I would like to call it dumb luck."

"Either way, I didn't know you were friends with my lovely editor."

"Well you never did ask me what I did for a living."

"I'm sorry if I had other things on my mind at the time."

_Tick, tick, tick_, "No," _Ding!_, "This is the guy!?" and just like that it clicked, and Mitchan was in an uproar, "Him! Shigure was the guy from the bar!" her right arm was completely outstretched, one shaky finger pointing at Shigure as she stared incredulously at Emi, "He's the attractive-"

_Smack!_ With an incredible aim Emi threw her right arm out, snapping it over Mitchan's mouth with an audible slapping noise. And now Emi knew why she should no longer confide in Mitchan.

"So I see you've been thinking of me?" that smug look on Shigure's face was enough to bring a hint of color to Emi's cheeks as she let out a sigh.

"Subconsciously, yes," Emi's hand was still tightly over Mitchan's mouth, "I'm gonna be the one reading your manuscripts for a while, and the reason we came was to return one to you for corrections," Changing the subject like a pro.

"So that's what you had in that bag of yours," Shigure's eyes fell to Emi's hip, where that same black briefcase laid, "My manuscript. So…did you enjoy it?"

Shigure didn't seem to be talking about the grammatical status of the manuscript, instead he was talking about all those saucy moments that made Emi blush, "It was decent," was the only praise she would give him, but that was enough to make his head swell up like a balloon.

"Well thank you! The next installment should be out soon, and I'm sure you'll find that one just as pleasurable!"

"Really?" Mitchan timidly took Emi's hand off her mouth, "The next manuscript is ready?"

"Now now I suppose it is rude of me to just leave you standing there, oh and let me introduce you to these two," Shigure was completely and utterly ignoring both Mitchan and the topic of his next manuscript, and instead turned the attention to the two high-schoolers.

"This is my beloved cousin Yuki, and this darling creature is named Tohru," Shigure merely pointed to his male cousin, but made sure to lay a gentle hand on Tohru's shoulder as if he were a proud parent.

"Get your hand off of her," Yuki growled, but Shigure didn't budge.

"Now Yuki, don't be so rude! I apologize Miss Emi for my cousin's rudeness! The youth of today just don't have any manners."

"And you do?" the silver haired boy mumbled as he took a step forward, "I'm sorry if I came off as rude, but my name is Yuki Sohma."

"No you weren't rude!" Emi quickly responded, "I can understand that dealing with _that_," she referred to Shigure and that dumb look on his face, "Can be overwhelming. But it's nice to meet you Yuki, my name is Emi."

"I'm sorry for any inconvenience Shigure has caused you Miss. Emi, you two act as if you know each other and I sincerely apologize for anything he may have said or done to you."

"No really it's fine, he was….nice," as soon as this left Emi's mouth she realized that she needed to be careful of how much she inflated Shigure's ego.

"See!? I was nothing but nice to this beautiful specimen!"

"She's a woman not a specimen!"

"And since when were you so familiar with the female gender Yuki?" Shigure raised his eyebrows as he looked down at his cousin, and immediately the young man began walking away.

"C'mon Miss Honda," Yuki murmured as he left Emi and Mitchan's sight.

"Okay!" the young brunette chirped, "It's nice to meet you," her smile was one of the most genuine things Emi had ever seen, but she also looked a bit naïve. And although neither Yuki or Shigure seemed like bad people, Emi couldn't help but wonder what a sweet girl was doing living with two men.

"Who's here?" Scratch that, _three_ men. The young man seemed to be the same age as Tohru and Yuki, but he had bright orange hair and didn't seem as pleasant as the other two, "Hey it's your editor," he dumbly stated, "And you haven't run away? What's gotten into you?"

"No one in my life has any faith in me," Shigure sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, and Emi could just feel the butterflies in her stomach.

_Damn it stop fawning over him!_ Emi had never felt so instantly attracted to someone, and it just further annoyed her. She was here on business damn it! If Emi ever wanted to be able to climb up that stupid ladder of success she needed to focus.

"And who are you?" the question was directed at Emi and it came from the orange haired kid who apparently was lacking in manners.

"Who are you?" Emi was starting to think that maybe she had some deep rooted issue with telling her name to people, and from the look on Shigure's face he was thinking the same thing.

"Jeez never mind it's not like I care anyway," and just like that the red head was walking away.

"Pay no mind to Kyo, he's a very _special_ child," Shigure managed to simultaneously introduced the boy and insulted him, impressive.

Now came the awkward lull in conversation. Mitchan was still in shock from the revelation that the man Emi talking so highly about was Shigure. Emi was trying to think of something to make this situation less awkward. And Shigure, well Emi wasn't sure exactly what Shigure was thinking, but she couldn't deny that it looked a bit mischievous.

"Well," Shigure finally broke the silence as he clapped his hands together, "No need for you two to stand out there with those blank expressions on your face, come on in," and just like that he moved to the side, allowing the two women to walk in.

Now Emi wasn't sure, because she had never really experienced this, but as she walked by Shigure she had this strong sense that he was very blatantly looking, no, **staring**at her ass. With a quick movement she turned her head, and sure enough there were Shigure's eyes, right on her butt, "Where you staring at my ass?" she whispered, noticing his slight shock at being caught, but there was no sign of remorse on his face.

"What makes you think that?" his voice sounded so innocent, that Emi thought maybe she had been mistaken, that is until he walked past her, his hand happening to brush across her butt, making her jump slightly, "Come on now, I'm sure Mitchan is eagerly awaiting our little chat!"

Emi had never had something like that happen to her, and she always imagined that she would be utterly disgusted if it did. But right now, she couldn't help but smile and almost burst out into laughter. She couldn't believe that a guy could be so bold, and still manage to be cute while being a pervert. There had to be something wrong with her, she concluded, because most normal women would have slapped him.

The house was nice and clean as they walked through it, and Emi figured it was because of that sweet Tohru. These men did not look like the clean type, and as Emi walked into Shigure's office her earlier thought was confirmed. Books, tons and tons of books, oh and a timid Mitchan standing in the middle of it. The floor was covered with papers, pens, books that didn't seem to fit in the many bookshelves, and even some dirty clothes. The only part of the room that wasn't completely cluttered was Shigure's bed and the surrounding area.

_I'm in his bedroom_, Emi realized as her eyes scanned the room, but she figured she shouldn't think too much of it. If anything this room was much more of an office than a bedroom, especially with the large wooden desk which Shigure went and sat himself at, "So ladies," he sighed as he placed his hands behind his head, "How may I help you?"

Without saying a word Emi dropped the large manuscript onto Shigure's desk, the impact making a loud slamming noise. Shigure was quick to pick it up, flipping through it, and then he began pouting, "So much red," he 'tsk'ed, "My dear Emi, why would you be so cruel to my poor manuscript? It didn't even stand a chance! Yet you stabbed it mercilessly with your red pen."

"Don't answer him," Mitchan said as Emi's mouth opened the response ready to leave her lips, "Shigure we need to focus."

"Well we all know what the best medicine for focus is don't we?" the man asked as he switched his gaze from Emi to Mitchan and then back again, "A hearty lunch!" he finally exclaimed, standing up and slamming his hand onto his desk.

"No!" Mitchan shouted, running to block to door with her body.

"Hm, I see," Shigure said thoughtfully as he sat back down, "I didn't know you were going through such a rough time."

"What?" Mitchan asked as she dropped her arms, which had been outstretched to further prohibit Shigure from leaving the room.

"You don't need to worry about your weight Mitchan, you are very slim, and not eating will do nothing to help the situation. I do know a doctor if you wish to talk to him about this sudden slip of self-confidence that you are having."

It really wasn't that funny, but the look on Mitchan's face was enough to put Emi in a fit of giggles. Her hand instinctively rose to cover her mouth as she found herself laughing and also trying to apologize, "I'm sorry Mitchan, I know you don't have problems, "she giggled, but Mitchan did not look very happy, "It was just a joke, it wasn't even funny."

"Then why are you laughing?" Mitchan asked darkly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Emi didn't have a good answer for that, so instead she just tried her best to stifle the giggles, which instantly became easier when she noticed Shigure's eyes dancing around her body. Shigure really did seem to be a ladies man, and that thought is what made Emi let out an almost sad sigh. This guy wasn't _really_ interested in her; he was interested in her body, in her looks. He probably cared less about what her favorite food was, or what her favorite color was, because, from what Emi could tell, Shigure wasn't that type of guy. Sure the attention he gave her felt nice, but it wasn't sincere. He wanted something, and if she gave it to him he would no doubt move on to flirt with some other pretty girl.

"I must say," his voice surprised Emi, and his sudden proximity did as well. No longer was he standing near his desk, but instead was right in front of her, "You look much cuter when you aren't soaking wet," a smile came onto his face, but the odd thing was that it didn't seem perverted at all, it almost seemed _sincere_, "Well maybe you are cuter wet," and there came the perverted smile.

"You're too much," all Emi could do was laugh, because if she didn't she would be either disgusted or embarrassed.

"But you don't seem to mind."

True fact. Yet something else Emi couldn't explain. She was extremely interested in this guy, but the longer she was around him, the more the thought lingered in her mind, and the more this new feeling rose inside of her. _Danger_. She couldn't shake it, and there was no reason to think of that word when looking at Shigure but she did. That devilish smile on his lips, that smirk that she couldn't read, the way he looked at her, it made her head scream at her to just get away from him. To forget about him, to stop letting those romantic thoughts enter her mind. But she couldn't. Literally couldn't. She had tried to forget about this guy for the past two days, but she couldn't, and now here he was. It had to be a sign, some sort of signal that she should give him a chance, that even if he is only interested in one thing she should stick around.

"I really don't," she was honest, downright honest, and she could see the slight shock on Shigure's face at her response, "Well your manuscript deadline is coming up, I guess maybe I'll see you then? That is if Mitchan wants me to continue coming with her."

"I've never been one to meet deadlines, so how about I see you before then?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A date but of course!" Shigure pointed one finger up into the sky as he lifted his chin, "Now don't look so sad Mitchan, I know your admiration for me runs deep, but you must learn to share," he taunted as he saw the shock on Mitchan's face, "So what do you say my dear Emi?"

"Don't do it," Mitchan's voice was low and scratchy, as if she too sensed the danger and was trying to warn Emi.

But Emi wasn't one to listen to warnings, she never had. Ever since she was little, Emi never understood the concept of 'consequences'. That's the reason she would do something that inevitably would get her in trouble, but maybe this time was different. Maybe Emi was just being silly and there was nothing to worry about with Shigure. Maybe he was a good guy who really was interested in her. Or maybe not, but either way Emi had made up her mind.

"I don't know about a _date_," she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "But an evening spent between novelist and editor sounds okay," just cause Emi was interested didn't mean she was going to be easy.

"Tomato, tomatoe, call it what you will, but how about I pick you up tomorrow at seven?"

"Do you even have a car?" Emi thought back to when she was outside of the home, and she didn't remember seeing any vehicles anywhere nearby.

"Don't worry about it," Shigure placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'll get it all taken care of," he tapped her nose lightly, once again causing that faint blush to pop up on Emi's face.

"Sweet!" she said happily as she began walking towards Shigure's desk, noticing the amused look on Shigure's face at her choice of adjective. Emi had been told quite a few times that she had a way of using odd words to describe things, words that made her sound like she was some punk teenager. Well Emi wasn't a teenager, in fact she was twenty-three years old, and in a lot of ways was very much an adult- except for some of the words she chose to use.

"Yes, _sweet_ indeed," he was once again poking fun at her word choice, but Emi could see why. Shigure was a novelist; therefore he had a repertoire of fancy words and phrases, and therefore saw humor in some of the things the woman said.

"So I wrote down my address," she stated as she pointed to the piece of paper she had taken the liberty of writing on, "And I'll see you tomorrow then," Emi began walking backwards towards the door, she had never liked turning her back on people, "And work on your manuscript in the meantime," she pointed her finger at him, giving him a stern look, but it only made him laugh.

"I will do my best," he shrugged as he followed Emi and Mitchan to the door.

"And tell Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo that it was nice to meet them."

"You are much too kind, but don't worry I'll tell them."

"Okay," Emi had reached the front door, and quickly slipped her shoes on, "Well, bye," she couldn't think of anything else to say, so as she walked away from the man she also added in a slight wave.

"Bye," he said, his voice low, and his eyes full of a fire that Emi didn't know what to make of, "And bye to you too Mitchan!" he giddily called out, but Mitchan didn't respond, instead she just kept walking, her head hanging low and her shoulders slouched forward.

Emi hardly noticed Mitchan for the first while of their walk back to the car, instead her mind was stuck on Shigure, but then she noticed the grave look plaguing her co-worker, "What's wrong?" she questioned, and Mitchan stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her.

"You're playing with fire."

"Um…huh?" Actually Emi was walking along a dirt path, very far away from any fire, especially because playing with fire in a forest was dangerous. Make love, not forest fires, or something like that.

"Just be careful," Mitchan sighed as she began walking forward again, "Shigure may be handsome, but I wouldn't trust him. You're playing with fire," she repeated, and now it made sense what Mitchan was talking about, "And I just really hope you don't get burned."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ahhhh! I used the name of the story _in_ the actual story. I thought it was clever...it probably wasn't though.

So I'm gonna try something with this story, and that is writing it in third person limited point of view. So the last chapter was in Shigure's point of view (but still in third person), and this one was in Emi's. I hope to have them switching off like that, unless for some reason the chapter would be told better in one view or by switching inbetween views.

Yeah, I'm not sure if anyone would have even noticed that, but there you have it! Hopefully you guys liked this chapter, and the next one will bring in some of the sinister aspects of this story (mwahaha!). Please review and let me know what you thought, thanks! :)


	3. The Devil's Plan

_Heaven help me for the way I am_

_Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done_

_I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand_

_But I keep living this day like the next will never come_

_I've got to make a play, to make my lover stay_

_So what would an angel say?_

_The devil wants to know._

-Fiona Apple. _Criminal_.

**CHAPTER 3: The Devil's Plan**

"She isn't some object to use for your advantage, she is a _human_ _being_, she has a _heart_, and you seem to be perfectly fine with shattering it."

Yes, she did have a heart, and no, Shigure didn't care if he broke it into a million pieces. The thought didn't even make him wince, because he knew _why_ he was doing this. He had a purpose, a goal, and if using one woman and breaking one heart was what it took- then he would do it.

"Can't you just sleep with her? Won't that also make Akito jealous?"

_Of course not_, it wouldn't be the kind of jealousy Shigure needed to make the head of the family feel. He needed to _have_ Emi, he needed to show Akito that he could be with someone else, and be happy- even if it was just a charade. He needed Akito to overflow with rage, to long for Shigure, and then when she broke down; when the almighty God reached the limits of envy Shigure would be there. He would have her, he would have broken Akito down and now it would be his job to build her back up.

"I don't just want her to be jealous," Shigure turned his head to look out of window in Hatori's office, "I want to break her."

"Break _who_? Emi or Akito? Because I believe both of them will be broken if you go through with this."

"Emi will be fine, because when Akito finds out she will be furious and will order you to erase Emi's memories. The girl won't even remember who I am or what I did, she will be perfectly fine."

Hatori couldn't help but scoff, but he also should have known to not expect anything else from Shigure, "You seem to be forgetting one minor detail."

"And what's that?"

"You assume that Emi will simply fall in love with you."

"Ha! I don't need or _want_ her love! I just need her to stay around long enough to suit her purpose."

"And if she doesn't stay around long enough?"

"I find someone else," Shigure smirked, a devilish look coming to his eyes, "But I hope I don't have to," he paused, hoping for Hatori to ask him 'why?', but the dragon wasn't about to so Shigure decided to explain anyway, "If I _have_ to be around someone for an extended period of time I'd like her to at least be attractive. And Emi is just that, plus she seems to have a wonderful personality and is intelligent as well. What more could I ask for?"

"She is **not** intelligent."

"Huh? But you were the first one to compliment her as such, in the bar remember?"

"If she allows you to do this to her, then she isn't smart at all. She is foolish, and so are you Shigure."

_Yes I am, I am a fool and I always will be_. Perhaps this plan wasn't going to work, perhaps Hatori was right and things would go wrong, but Shigure simply had to try. From the moment Emi showed up at his doorstep he simply _knew_ that this could work. He hadn't imagined to see her again, and although she had been on his mind, he did his best to keep her out of his thoughts. But alas! Who should he see at his door yesterday but that _same_ woman, and if that wasn't a sign then Shigure didn't know what was.

And that's when the plan first began forming. Emi was rather delightful, she was beautiful, funny, sweet, and perhaps if Shigure hadn't been cursed his entire life he would strive to build a true relationship with that woman, but Shigure _was _cursed, in more ways than one. And this sweet girl had no idea what she was dealing with, and she wouldn't until it was too late. _I shall surely end up in hell for this_.

"And the curse? What if she finds out?" Hatori was referring to Emi, who would no doubt one day wish to hug Shigure, or would accidently bump into him.

"She won't. Because as long as she doesn't find out then Akito doesn't need to know about her. I need to be able to keep Emi long enough to form a relationship with her, and if she finds out about the curse Akito will have her memories suppressed. So I hide it, in fact I doubt Emi will _ever _find out."

"Your plan is extremely flawed, but I'm sure you already know that."

"So I take it you will be willing to give me and my lovely date a ride this evening?" Shigure could tell that Hatori was uncomfortable with this request. Hatori was much more of a lover than a fighter, and it would be difficult for him to watch this sweet, innocent girl be used so heartlessly. But Hatori was one of Shigure's best friends, and that meant that he would be there for him.

"Fine," Hatori replied curtly as he leaned back in his chair, watching as Shigure stood up.

"You really are the best," Shigure grinned, "But don't tell Aayame that, don't want him getting jealous now do we?"

"Maybe I shouldn't worry after all. If you act like that in front of Emi, I'm sure she will leave you in no time."

"Cruel Hatori! How cruel, but nevertheless thank you for the ride and be at my home by six," Shigure tried his hand at ordered Hatori around, but he simply couldn't forget to tack on the 'please' just to make sure that his friend would show up.

The main house was silent as Shigure walked out of Hatori's office, the floor creaking beneath his feet. The halls were dark, fruitlessly hiding the secrets that the Sohma family was filled with. But Shigure felt comfortable here, because here he could be himself. Here he was nothing better than a man, a man with selfish thoughts and selfish ambitions. _'You're nice_' Emi had said when she first met him, but it was a lie. No, he wasn't nice, not at all, and in fact it cut deep when someone believed him to be something he was not. But _she_ knew, Akito knew all too well, because she was also hiding a secret, because she also knew how to put on a show.

Yes, a show, that's all this would be. Shigure would play the part of the wolf in sheep's clothing, while Emi was the helpless fawn. No matter how witty, intelligent, or insightful Emi would prove to be- Shigure would always be one step ahead. He would hide the truth, fill her with lies, and then shamelessly flaunt her in front of Akito. He was the butcher, prepping Emi for the kill, but in the end it would all be worth it. _It would all be worth it_. Because Shigure knew that he was heartless, and that some random girl he met in a bar wasn't about to change that.

* * *

"You sure look handsome! Where are you going?"

"Don't compliment him like that or else you won't hear the end of it. But why are you all dressed up anyway?"

Shigure had told the three others living in his house that he would be going out tonight, but he had purposely failed to tell them exactly where he was going. Perhaps they wouldn't have inquired, but as soon as Tohru saw him wearing a suit she couldn't help but ask. Even Kyo seemed interested, which provided the perfect opportunity to taunt the quick to anger cat.

"Can a man not wear a suit without questions being raised?" he asked as he turned to face to two teenagers, "My dear Tohru could you be so kind as to fix my tie?" Sure enough the girl quickly came to the rescue, her small hands working on the maroon tie, and sure enough this action was enough to annoy Kyo.

"Can't you fix your own tie you lazy-"

"Perhaps if you wore a tie Kyo you could have the pleasure of Tohru's assistance," the sentence itself wasn't very perverted, but the wink that followed had Kyo nearly fuming. The cat would have gone off, if Tohru hadn't been standing right there, that girl certainly had had a positive effect on the boy.

"There you go, all done!" Tohru happily chimed as she stepped away from Shigure, his tie now sitting perfectly on his chest.

"So where are you going?" Kyo asked again as Shigure fixed his black suit jacket.

"A date!" Shigure grinned and Tohru's eyes filled with wonder as Kyo's eyes filled with disgust.

"What woman would go on a date with _you_!?"

"Oh a date! How romantic! Who are you going with?" Tohru had become taken over with her excitement, until she realized that her prying may be seen as rude, "I'm sorry! You don't have to tell me, it really is none of my business."

"Remember that woman that came to the house yesterday?"

"No," Kyo could hardly remember what he had for breakfast this morning, let alone some insignificant event that occurred yesterday.

"Emi!" Tohru easily remembered the woman's name and her eyes lit up at the realization of whom Shigure would be going out with tonight, "She seemed very nice."

"And cute," Shigure tapped Tohru's nose and then began walking towards his room to grab his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Yuki questioned as Shigure walked past him.

"He's going on a date!" Tohru happily informed the purple eyed boy.

"A date? Who would go on a date with you?"

"Funny," Shigure said as he exited his room, his shoes in hand, "But Kyo said something similar to that."

"He's going with Emi. Remember Yuki? The woman from yesterday?" As long as Tohru was content with spreading the news, Shigure had no reason to stand around with the teenagers. Especially because he knew Kyo and Yuki would readily questions his motives for going out on a date with this woman. Perhaps they sensed that something sinister was about to unfold, but as long as Tohru had faith in Shigure the two boys wouldn't question it too much.

As Shigure walked towards the front door, where Hatori should be standing within the next few minutes (always punctual that one), he managed to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked handsome in his black suit, white shirt, and maroon tie. His black hair hung in its usual fashion, and he could find no sign of his sinister plans glimmering in his grey eyes. No, he didn't look like a devil, not at all.

The knocking on the door tore Shigure's gaze away from the mirror, and also drew his thoughts back to the evening at hand. Hatori was right on time, and looked just as uninterested as he had earlier. He obviously did not want to have to be devil's advocate tonight, but he didn't really have a choice. Hatori had always been there for Shigure, even if he didn't want to be.

"Well I'll be off!" Shigure called, not wanting Hatori to get roped into conversation with those three youngsters.

"Hello Hato-" the slamming of the door cut Tohru off as Shigure began walking towards his friend's vehicle.

Hatori didn't even say anything to Shigure, which was slightly unusual. Shigure expected his friend to scold him on not allowing Tohru to say 'hello' to him. Then Shigure would say something along the lines of Hatori having feelings for Tohru, Hatori would insult him, and things would go on as usual. But there was an obvious tension in the air, something Shigure was not fond of, but he knew _why_ it was there.

Yet Shigure knew that in time Hatori would soften up to his plan. No doubt Hatori would see that this girl would be fine, that no harm would come to her. Well, maybe a little bit of harm, if she were to ever meet Akito. Shigure still wasn't sure how that part of the plan would work, because if Akito actually met Emi, and then was alone with her, no doubt there would be broken bones and a great deal of pain- for Emi that is. But it was too early to think about that now; right now Shigure had to think about tonight.

He needed to make a good impression; he needed to make his mark on this woman's life. If things didn't go well tonight then the plan would fail before it even had a chance to fully form. But Shigure had a good feeling about tonight, he almost even felt anxious, and he didn't know entirely why. Perhaps he was excited to see this plan take its first breath, or because he finally felt as if he were moving closer to his goal, or maybe, just maybe he was excited to see Emi.

Shigure let out an audible chuckle, because there was no way _that_ was the reason he was excited. He could care less if he saw her, and it would forever stay that way. She was a pawn in his game, nothing more, and it didn't matter how charismatic, charming, sweet, or beautiful she was. Because no one cares about the pawn, they only care about the queen.

"We're here."

The sun had already set over the city, yet this part of town was illuminated by numerous street lights and store signs. On one side of the street there were a handful of small shops with neon lights nearly begging for someone to come in and look around. There were two restaurants, both seemingly quaint and lit up bright. The other side of the street was much more residential, only a few stores on either ends of the street. Shigure stood in front of a large apartment complex that looked more like a hotel than a living compound.

There was no sign on the yellow hued building, but light flooded out into the street from the first floor. Two exorbitant glass doors signified the entrance to what looked to be a large lobby, and in fact was larger than Shigure expected when he took his first steps inside. The florescent lights temporarily blinded Shigure, who scanned the room to see where he should go next. He didn't have to look very far before a male voice rung out.

"May I help you?"

Shigure looked to see where the voice came from, and found a security guard leaning back in a rolling chair behind a rather large black desk. He was holding an open newspaper in front of him, and his eyes still lingered on the paper as he once again addressed Shigure, "You need something?"

"I'm here to see someone," Shigure stated dumbly as he began moving towards the desk, noticing how the man placed the newspaper down into his lap.

"Well then go see 'em," he said before picking the paper back up, "You don't need to check in with me. You got the options of the stairs or the elevator," the guard tilted his head to the right, but Shigure didn't move, "You don't know where this person lives huh?"

"Uh, no actually I don't, she didn't tell me."

"Women," the security guard sighed as he put the paper down on the desk and turned to face his computer, "What's her last name."

"Uh…"

"You don't know that either?"

Shigure knew how bad this must look, as far as this security guard was concerned, Shigure could be some sort of criminal who followed some woman here and now wanted to know where she lived. Plus if there was a need to have a security guard in this apartment complex it must have meant that crime had been prevalent here. _Great_, Shigure ran his fingers through his hair before meeting the gaze of the security guard, "Her name's Emi," he offered and a smile came to the guard's face.

"Emi Mazuka," the guard said as he typed something into the computer, "You must be a lucky man."

"How so?"

"Emi's a great person," the security guard said simply, "A bit of an oddball that one," he chuckled, "Eh but she's a sweetheart, and I'm happy to see she's bounced back."

"Bounced back?"

"Third floor, door on the right," was the only response Shigure got, seeing that this security guard wasn't about to air all of Emi's dirty laundry.

"Thanks," he replied as he began walking towards the elevator.

The elevator took a few moments to arrive, but once it did Shigure stepped into the small space. No more than two people could possibly fit into this elevator, and he was already contemplating taking the stairs next time. While the elevator made its way up to the third floor Shigure pondered what exactly the security guard had meant by 'bounced back'. Had something happened to Emi? Something that had stolen that light laugh from her lips and that smile from her face? He couldn't deny that he was curious, but also that it really didn't matter. Shigure didn't need to know about Emi's past, in fact the less he knew about her the better.

Once he reached the third floor Shigure could see why the only directional advice the security guard gave him was 'door on the right', because there were only two ways to go once he exited the elevator, well not counting the hallway which led to a flight of stairs. The walk was short, and Shigure found himself looking at a forest green door with a matching colored doorbell.

"Coming!" her response was quick, perhaps only a second after Shigure rang the doorbell he could hear her scurrying inside of there until the door opened.

It took him a moment to figure out what exactly she was doing, because when Emi opened the door she didn't open it up all the way. Instead she opened it just a crack, enough for her to look out of it at Shigure. He assumed that once she saw who it was then she would open it fully, but she didn't. And that's when he saw it. A thin, black, lacey strap on her shoulder, and he found himself leaning to try to see if his assumption was true.

"Oh good you're wearing a suit, I didn't know what to wear, I didn't want to be too fancy so just give me a second," her words were rushed, and just as Shigure was about to get a good view she closed the door once more.

_Did she just answer the door in only her bra and underwear?_ Normally this thought would have been perverted, but instead it was full of wonder, because it really did seem that Emi hadn't been wearing much when she cracked the door open. Had the thought of what to wear really puzzled her that much that she had just been waiting around her apartment, half naked, until Shigure arrived? And now that she concluded that he was in a suit, she must have had an outfit ready to slip into.

"Okay! Sorry about that, but I'm ready now."

Emi continued rambling, something about locking her door and how the key always managed to get jammed. Shigure wasn't sure because his mind wasn't focused on what she was saying but instead what she was _wearing_. A dress, forest green in color and skin tight in nature. Every curve of her body was pronounced, from her small bust that peeked out over the scooped neckline to her slender waist that moved into her wide hips. Then there were the parts of her body the dress didn't cover. Her pronounced collarbones, her gazelle-like legs, her defined calves which must have been sculpted from years of walking around in heels, her pale skin that glimmered with the hint of days spent out in the sun, and her raven hair that was straight and hit just past her breasts.

"Damn," he whistled under his breath, as his gaze traveled back up her body. Then he noticed how her brown eyes were fixated on him, as if perhaps she had just finished her inspection of him, and was pleased at what she found.

"You look nice," Emi complimented as her gaze stayed fixated on his face.

Shigure on the other hand was having a very difficult time not letting his gaze wander, "You're beautiful," it came out as a whisper, almost as if a thought that was never meant to be spoken aloud, but it was true nonetheless. He noticed how Emi's cheeks lit up, her hands subconsciously tugging on the end of her dress that cut off mid-thigh. But even if this statement was true, there was another thought that came to Shigure's mind. _You're beautiful, but you're not her_.

"Okay Casanova," Emi laughed as she began walking towards the elevator, Shigure attentively watching the way her hips swayed with each step she took, "But I must admit," she stopped as she turned to look at him, "You do look rather dashing."

"Dashing," Shigure repeated as he watched the woman in front of him grin and continue walking forward.

Shigure didn't follow, not right away at least, instead he stayed frozen, his mind racing. He could end it all now before it even began. He could come up with a lie, say he wasn't feeling well, and simply leave and never be around her again. He could do something right, he could find a sense of morality and leave this woman alone. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't just walk away. So instead he walked forward, his hands in his pockets as he moved towards his prey. _Let the games begin_.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Shigure's secret motive isn't so secret anymore! Well except to Emi...but anway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review :)


	4. The Date

_This may not last but this is now, so love the one you're with_

_You wanna chase but you're chasin' your tail_

_A quick fix won't ever get you well_

_Oh, no I do not hook up, up I fall deep_

_'Cause the more that you try_

_The harder I'll fight to say goodnight_

-Kelly Clarkson. _I Do Not Hook Up_

**CHAPTER 4: The Date**

Spine chilling, hatred filled, cold as ice glares. If looks could kill, Emi would have died ten times over by now. Luckily it wasn't so bad now that she and Shigure were seated inside the restaurant, but boy were they bad a few minutes ago. The car ride had been uneventful, well besides meeting Hatori who Emi had immediately recognized from the bar. She thanked him profusely for driving her, to which he said something along the lines that driving her wasn't the problem but driving Shigure was. Emi laughed, Shigure scowled, and Hatori smirked, all was going well until they pulled up to the restaurant.

Emi got out right away, never really having the patience to wait for a guy to open her door for her. Shigure and Hatori then exited the vehicle and began talking about something, Emi wasn't sure what because she was suddenly overwhelmed by the sense that someone was staring at her. She had been standing on the sidewalk, next to the two chattering men, when she noticed a group of women standing near the entrance to the restaurant. Emi had been to this restaurant a few times before, and knew that if you didn't have a reservation you wouldn't be getting in right away. This seemed to be the explanation for the women all standing outside, but what Emi had yet to figure out an explanation for was why they were glaring at her and whispering amongst themselves.

Her first instinct was to check to make sure her dress hadn't ridden up or wasn't lying awkwardly on her body, but nothing was wrong with her dress. Then Emi ran a finger through her hair, feeling to see if perhaps anything was in it or maybe it was sticking up, but there was nothing there. Then it clicked. She noticed one of the women set her eyes on Shigure and Hatori and scan them up and down, an undeniable look of lust in her eyes. Then the same woman looked at Emi for a brief moment before whispering something to her girlfriends.

Jealous. They were jealous. Emi found herself looking over at the two men who were beginning to wrap up their conversation, and she could easily see what those women saw. Two extraordinarily handsome gentlemen, standing with some random undeserving woman. They probably thought she was an escort or something, that no way in hell one of those guys would be interested in her. Emi tried to ignore the women, but it was difficult, and then she was pretty sure all hell was about to break lose when she began talking to Hatori and Shigure. She could almost feel the envy radiating off of those women as she said goodbye to Hatori, but the worst was still to come.

She actually had to walk past those women in order to get into the restaurant. Luckily their eyes stayed on Shigure more than they did on her, but it was still ridiculous how angry they seemed. Then came the overly friendly hostess, the wandering eyes of the patrons, and finally the busty, flirtatious woman who took their drink orders. Luckily their server was a man, and they were sitting near the back of the restaurant- away from all those horny women that kept eyeing Shigure like he was a piece of meat.

"You seem agitated?"

Emi had been trying to forget about what had occurred during the last ten minutes, but she couldn't, because she just didn't get it. Yeah Shigure was hot, sure she found herself fawning over him at times, but she at least tried to keep it in check. She didn't necessarily _like_ that butterfly feeling Shigure gave her. Maybe if she had known him for a long time, then it would be okay, but she hardly knew him. But at least she knew him more than those women outside the restaurant knew him. As far as they knew he could be some deranged man who preyed on women, took them to fancy restaurants, and then killed them in his dirty kitchen!

"I'm fine," she lied, because she didn't want to have to explain her logic, or accuse him of being a criminal…again.

"Really?"

"People just be crazy," she sighed as she took a sip of her water, "But don't worry about it, I promise I'm fine, well unless one of those women decides to kidnap me and dump me in a river somewhere."

"Wait what?"

_Did he really not notice?_ Emi couldn't believe that he wouldn't notice all the attention he was getting. There was no way he could have been oblivious to it all. Did he really not feel all those women mentally undressing him?

"Oh those women in front of the restaurant," his gaze seemed to drift off somewhere, as if mentally picturing those scantily clad women, and then he came back to the present and looked at Emi, "I can see why they would be jealous."

"Pray tell."

"Well it's obvious," he sighed as he leaned back and Emi assumed he would say something about how attractive he was, "You're far better looking than they are and therefore they were green with envy."

"Smooth," Emi complimented as she smiled and noticed Shigure tilt his head slightly to the side, "I don't think that was it though. I think they wanted to jump you."

"_Me_?" he feigned surprise as he delicately placed his hand on his chest.

Emi couldn't help but laugh at how easily Shigure could fake humble. She knew he had noticed, and now he was just trying to play it off, "What's your family's secret?" she whispered as she leaned forward, her hands placed on the table. She noticed an odd emotion flash across Shigure's face, almost as if she had asked something she shouldn't have, "I mean your genetic secret, you're all so good looking," she clarified and watched as Shigure almost seemed relieved.

"So you think I'm good looking?"

"No," she leaned back, "I said your family was good looking, I never said where you rank on that list."

"Well I'm not afraid to tell you how attractive I think you are."

"Don't," Emi said quickly, "You really don't want to see me blush like that."

"I think I can make you do more than just blush."

Emi had no response, and that actually happened a lot during the course of the meal. She had never really been the 'speechless' type, but Shigure had a way of leaving her with nothing to say. Partially because he had managed to embarrass her to the point of silence. He was really _really_ scary good at being perverted, but in a non-sickening way. Well maybe some people would have found it sickening, from what Mitchan said Shigure had a thing for high school girls, which Emi wasn't fond of, but she could handle his current state of perverseness. And she could handle it so well because he wasn't always like that.

Shigure could be so funny, in fact he even managed to make Emi snort once, which wasn't attractive at all, but it just made her laugh even more. Then he could be serious, and he sounded so sincere when he complimented her. He seemed perfect. Seemed. Because occasionally there would be a look, a glance, a flash of something in his eyes that triggered that sense in her that said to get out, to stop now before it was too late, but then that feeling would go away and things would be fine again.

For an editor/novelist dinner, Emi and Shigure barely talked about work. They did talk about Shigure's novels for a bit, which soon turned into yet another blush worthy conversation. Then they moved onto talking about Emi, and how she ended up working with Mitchan.

"I got hired about five months back for clerical work, but with the understanding that if I worked my butt off I could possibly secure an editor position. About two weeks ago my boss asked if I would be willing to help out Mitchan, and boom that's how it happened."

"Boom," Shigure did seem to like repeated words she said, as if he wanted to see how it would sound coming out of his mouth, "Well what did you do before you started fraternizing with my editor?"

Emi didn't mean to, in fact she tried very hard not to, but she couldn't help but tense up a bit. Her shoulders rolled back, her hands went stiff next to her side, and she took a sharp breath in. She wondered if Shigure noticed, but she knew that he did, and now she had to answer him. "I worked at another publishing corporation, I was an editor there."

"And you left that job to do clerical work?" it was a valid question, because it really didn't add up, and Shigure didn't even know the half of it.

Emi had it nice at her old job. A great position, great pay, and a wonderful office with a view, plus she got to work with her best friend. In fact her best friend, and some of her closest friends, still worked there. But she had to leave, and even though her best friend said she was being overdramatic there was no way Emi could stay. She couldn't stand that aching feeling in her chest, she couldn't stand always being on the verge of tears, it drove her insane being that weak and there was no way she could move on if she didn't leave. She couldn't move on from him if she didn't move on from that place as well.

"Hey leaving my job led to me meeting you," she shrugged as she easily changed the subject and tried to relax yet again.

And that's when she saw it again, that flash, that devilish smirk that lasted for only a second, before his face went back to normal. She felt her heart speed up a bit, a rush of adrenaline, and then all went quiet. It was just her and Shigure, sitting across from each other, empty dinner plates in-between them and an almost empty bottle of wine. "Don't you think it's odd?" she finally said, her voice only a whisper.

"Fate my dear, serendipity even," he knew exactly what she was talking about, which meant he thought it was odd too.

"Serendipity," this time Emi repeated a word Shigure had said, and she wondered if that word really described it.

Emi had run into her fair share of coincidences in her life, but this was by far the weirdest thing that had happened to her. First she met some random guy at a bar, then he turned out to be the novelist she would be co-editing for, and then they go out on this date and he turns out to be simply wonderful. But instead of thinking of how great Shigure was, Emi couldn't help but wonder what was going to go wrong. Nothing in life was perfect; there would never be a knight in shining armor coming to sweep her off her feet. Something always went wrong, always, but Emi couldn't seem to figure out what would go wrong with Shigure. In fact she couldn't come up with a single idea until they were leaving the restaurant.

"Can you call us a cab please?" Shigure asked the hostess, who was more than happy to help him, and that's when the thought came into Emi's mind.

There may have been a million reasons why Hatori wasn't driving them back to her apartment, but there was one reason that was standing out. Emi felt her knees begin to shake slightly as she realized what Shigure may think was going to happen tonight. He did seem to be an experienced ladies' man, which means he must have been experienced in _other_ areas, and maybe this is just what he did. He wined and dined women that he wanted, made them feel comfortable around him, gave them the thought that he was a nice guy, then he would sleep with them and the women would never hear from him again.

But Emi **refused **to just be some one night stand, but she had no clue how she would tell Shigure that. As Emi sat in the cab she kept trying to come up with a way to say that she wasn't about to sleep with him, but say it in a way that wouldn't offend him. But why did she care if she offended him? Truth be told this whole thing should have been easy, but Emi was complicating it because she liked Shigure.

_Oh jeez I actually like this guy_, she thought as she turned her head to look at Shigure, who had been gazing out the window for the past few minutes, leaving her to her thoughts. A closed lipped smile tugged at her lips as she realized that this guy really was something. So what if he seemed oddly perfect? It wasn't like she was going to marry him! Heck she may not even start dating him, but she did want to get to know him. Maybe she could unearth his imperfections, and maybe, if she was lucky, there were none.

The cab pulled up to Emi's apartment and left as soon as both she and Shigure had stepped out of the car. If Shigure had planned to leave right away he would have told the cab to wait, but he didn't and Emi's mind was jumping to conclusions at a very rapid rate. Maybe he was just being sweet and wanted to walk her to her door. Make sure she got there safe ya know? Because crazy things happen on trips to one's apartment, except for the fact that there was a security guard in her complex therefore there was no real need for him to escort her.

Maybe he wanted a goodnight kiss, but Emi wasn't sure if she was even willing to give that up just yet. If she gave in, then he would go away. At least that's what Emi thought, and as selfish as it was- she didn't want him to go away. She wasn't expecting anything from him, it wasn't like she expected for them to suddenly fall in love, get married, and have two and a half children. But she enjoyed being around him, and she wanted to be around him more, even if that meant playing extremely hard to get. No, she couldn't even do that. She needed to be honest and blunt with him and let him know how she felt, what she thought, and why she wasn't about to just jump into bed with him- even if she kinda did want to.

_Damn it dirty thoughts get out get out get out_, if Emi was going to say a firm 'no' to Shigure then she needed to have a pure mind. But that was difficult because with how close she was to him in the elevator she could easily smell his cologne. That musky scent that lingered ever so faintly on his suit and mixed with his natural scent, it was intoxicating to say the least.

The clacking of her heels was muffled against the carpet of the hallway, but it was the only noise until they reached her doorway. "I know what you must be thinking," she started as she leaned her back up against her door, staring up at Shigure.

"You do?"

"You want to have sex with me." Maybe she was a little _too_ blunt, and she immediately wished she could throw those words back in her mouth and say something a little more lady like.

"Well who wouldn't."

Okay, he admitted it, which Emi wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. But as he moved towards her she knew she needed to say something, "I like you," she blurted out, and boy did that keep him from moving any closer.

"Don't let it get to your head or anything, it's not like I'm proposing, I'm just saying that you're a great guy. And thank you so much for tonight, it was wonderful, but if the only reason you did it was to get me to have sex with you well I'm sorry."

"Wait a minute," Shigure placed a finger up against Emi's lips, effectively silencing her, "You think I took you out to dinner so you would sleep with me?"

"Maybe," she mumbled, Shigure's finger moving away from her lips.

She felt his right hand touch her stomach first, and then she saw him lean his left forearm up against the door that was behind her back. They were incredibly close, or at least their faces were, considering he was keeping her torso away from him with his right hand. "Emi," the way he said her name should have been illegal, "Have you no faith in me?"

"Apparently not," there was no need to whisper, but she couldn't help it, her voice refused to come out any louder.

And that's when she knew what he was going to do next. He slowly began moving closer, their noses brushing together, and oh goodness did Emi want this, man oh man did she want to kiss him, but not yet. "Now now," she quickly moved away from him, leaving him still leaning up against the door as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't kiss on the first date."

"I didn't take you for a prude, not in that dress."

"The prudest!"

"That's not a word."

"You're not a word."

"You make no sense," Shigure chuckled as he moved away from her door, allowing her to slide her key into the lock and begin trying to forcefully enter her home. The lock on her door had always been defective, or more like it had always been moody. Some days it worked fine, and some days it decided to be a total pain in the butt and jam like none other.

"Let me help you," his hand gently slid over hers and she could feel his chest on her back, because he simply insisted on standing that close and right behind her as he tried to help her unlock her door.

"You're still trying to get a kiss huh?" Emi turned her head slightly, her nose nearly brushing against him.

"Of course not! I'm simply trying to be a good Samaritan and help out however I can. Now how you chose to thank me if up to you," and just like that the door unlocked, but Emi didn't open it right away.

She was sure she could have unlocked it without any help from Shigure, but it was still nice of him and he deserved some sort of thank you. "I'll give you a hug, but that's it," she was about to move in for the hug, but before she could take a single step forward Shigure placed both of his hands on her shoulders, keeping her away.

"You're not a hugger?" she was trying not to be offended, but Emi did find it odd that it was either a kiss or nothing for Shigure.

"Not particularly."

"That's odd because you seem to like standing strangely close to me, so I wouldn't think-" it made no sense, but Emi didn't have time to further explain or even think about how weird it was, because before she could finish her rambling sentence she felt Shigure's lips pressed firmly against hers.

His arms stayed on her shoulders, keeping her at bay, but that didn't stop her from grabbing his tie and forcefully pulling him towards her. She could feel the smirk on his lips at her actions, and she knew his ego must be exploding, but she didn't care. His kiss was forceful and passionate, and it took her breath away.

It took all of her willpower to separate her lips from his, especially because she was still standing so close to him, their lips merely inches apart. "Cheap trick."

"What was?" his breath tingled her lips.

"Kissing me in the middle of a sen-"

A soft kiss, this one much less aggressive, but interrupting her none the less. When they separated she could see that he was enjoying this little game, "Like I was saying, it is very rude for you to-"

Another kiss, and this time Emi couldn't help but laugh, "Stop it Shig-" Two more kisses and more stifled giggles until finally with a light shove Emi pushed Shigure away from her.

"Goodnight!" she called as she stepped into her apartment and slipped off her heels, dropping in stature a few inches, "Oh wait!" she spun around, her hair flying as she noticed Shigure already walking towards the elevator.

"Yes?"

"Um," she didn't want to sound desperate, or like some clingy woman dying to know when she would see him again, "I'll see you around," she wanted to add a 'hope' in there, because she really did hope she would see him again soon.

"Soon," he said as if reading her mind, "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon. Goodnight Emi."

"Night Shigure," she gently closed her door and took a moment to simply stand in her dark apartment and lean back on her door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** First off I just wanna thank all the readers for reading, reviewing, messaging me, adding this story to their favorites, etc. It means a lot to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review.


	5. The Friends

_Lips that need no introduction_

_Now who's the greater sin?_

_Your drab eyes seem to invite_

_Tell me darling where do we begin?_

_Was this over before? Before it ever began?_

_Your kiss, your calls, your crutch_

_Like the Devil's got your hand_

-Anberlin. _The Feel Good Drag_

**CHAPTER 5: The Friends**

Sickly sweet. Like a bad tasting piece of cotton candy. That's what Emi's kisses reminded him of, and as soon as she had shut her door he wiped that taste off of his lips. Sure, maybe she was a good kisser, but that didn't change the fact that Shigure had no desire to do it again. Kissing her meant absolutely _nothing_. That flutter in his chest, it was most likely from the disgust he was feeling. But it had to be done. At least in the beginning.

Once he had her hooked he wouldn't have to smell that floral scent that emanated off of her, he wouldn't have to taste that peachy lip gloss, and he wouldn't have to try so hard. He had no interest in kissing her, holding her, being near her, but he couldn't let her know that now. No woman would stay with him if he acted like that, well no woman besides Mayuko.

Shigure couldn't help but smirk when he thought about those days with Mayuko. Boredom and loneliness really don't mix well, but in a way Shigure would chose Mayuko over Emi any day. Because he didn't have to try with Mayuko, the expectations were low, and he never had to kiss her. Ugh that kiss, every time Shigure thought about it he subconsciously licked his lips. He half expected to taste that sickening flavor again, but luckily the taste was gone, but the feeling wasn't. It was like his lips were tingling, or maybe they were screaming in protest to what Shigure made them do. And now, as Shigure told Ayame of his date and of that kiss, that tingling feeling plagued his lips.

"Well I don't believe you! There is no way it could have been _that_ bad!"

Shigure took a long inhale from his cigarette, leaning his head back and blowing the smoke smoothly out of his mouth, "Sickening."

"And that was the last time you saw her? Three days ago?"

"I called her yesterday, but I can't stand listening to her voice for too long."

"You're cruel Shigure, and you're lying."

"How so?"

"You and I both know that Emi is not that bad."

"You have no idea, you've never met her."

Shigure immediately knew that he shouldn't have said that, because he knew what Ayame's response would be. "Well then I want to meet her."

"Of course you do."

"It really is no fair! Hatori got to meet her! And it isn't like him to gossip, so I won't be able to find out his side of the story, therefore I must meet her myself! That way I can judge if she really is as awful as you say she is."

"I never said she was awful."

"But you certainly implied it! So let's go!"

The two friends had been sitting in Shigure's home and enjoying the serenity that only seemed to appear when the kids were at school. Shigure was always amazed at how peaceful his home could be when those three weren't home. But of course it could be never stay peaceful for long, because without any warning Aaya had arrived. Hatori had let it slip that Shigure had gone on a date with Emi, and Ayame couldn't stay uninformed any longer, so he went to the source to get all of the details.

"Where are we going to go?" Shigure was still seated, watching as Ayame began walking towards the door.

"To Emi's work but of course!"

"And how do you know she's working?"

"Because it is noon on a Wednesday."

Ayame had a point. Unless you were novelist, owned your own shop, or did some other career that didn't require a strict work schedule you would most likely be at work at this time. And even if Emi wasn't there, Shigure did have the corrected manuscript he had been meaning to give to Mitchan. Plus the look on Mitchan's face when she saw him there would be too good to pass up. So just like that Shigure found himself leaving his home, and taking a cab towards where he would most likely find Emi.

The publishing company building was a decent size. Two stories, lots of windows, and white in color. And once Shigure stepped inside he audibly wondered why he had never come here before, or why he had only been here once during his novelist career. Perhaps it was because it was too much fun to make Mitchan go all the way to his house and beg him for his manuscript. But based on the caliber of women who worked here, he may just start showing up more often. The young woman behind the granite counter was a beauty, and so was the one idly pouring coffee down the hall, and the one furiously typing in her cubicle. But as Shigure randomly walked through the building, with no one seeming to notice him in the busy environment, he couldn't seem to catch a glimpse of Emi.

"Is that her?"

Shigure followed Ayame's gaze to a brunette who was talking on the phone across the large room, "No," he replied as he started walking towards the elevator, "Maybe she's on the second floor."

While the first floor seemed to be made up of cubicles, the second floor was where the high class offices were. There were no offices right outside the elevator; instead there was just a large window and a hallway to the left and one to the right. It was eerily quiet as Shigure and Ayame stepped out of the elevator, that was until the sound of papers falling and a high pitched yell met their ears.

"Shigure!"

The only way Shigure could think to explain the look on Mitchan's face was that of pure shock. Her face had gone ghostly white, her eyes were wide, and she looked a mess with all those papers lying on the floor around her.

"Mitchan! It's wonderful to see you too!" Shigure clasped his hands together, giving the woman a broad smile.

"Oh no," she moaned as put her head in her hands, "No place is safe anymore. Now he's showing up at my workplace? Now he's here to turn my life into a living hell. Someone kill me, please, I can't take it anymore."

"Don't be rude Mitchan, let me introduce you to my friend- Ayame."

"You have friends? _You're_ his friend?"

"You seem so shocked," Shigure noted as Ayame flamboyantly introduced himself to the depressed woman.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well I dropped by to give you this," once Shigure showed Mitchan the manuscript he was certain she would faint. In fact it stayed awkwardly silent for a moment, and Shigure was beginning to wonder what he would do if she fainted? It's not like he could catch her, and it wouldn't look very good if both him and Aaya just let her fall to the floor and possibly injure herself, "Mitchan! Is anyone home?" he moved closer and began knocking on her forehead, and as soon as he did she grabbed the manuscript out of his hands and fell to her knees.

"Thank you!" Mitchan yelled as she held the manuscript to her chest, "It's even a few days early! Oh whoever made this miracle happen- thank you!" She was now on the verge of tears and was holding the manuscript up into the air as if offering it up as some sort of sacrifice.

"Mitchan," Shigure tried to get her attention, but the woman was now wailing and crying right in front of the elevators, and he was sure that someone down either one of the halls was going to hear her, "Mitchan I think you are overreacting a bit."

"Shigure do something!" Ayame urged, as he noticed people begin peeking their heads out of their office doors to see the spectacle that was taking place.

Shigure wasn't really sure _what_ to do, he never had been good at comforting people, and truth be told it was a bit amusing to watch Mitchan kneeling on the floor, hugging the manuscript, and crying. He could tell that Ayame didn't find it as amusing, and instead was focusing on the gazes that would meet them before going back into their offices. Apparently people were used to Mitchan acting so strangely, because once people saw who was crying so loudly they just shut their office doors yet again. But one person wasn't about to let the woman continue crying on the floor.

"Oh my goodness, get up!" in the midst of the wailing a female voice rang out, stomping down the hallway barefoot but in business attire. Her hair was dirty blonde and cut to her collarbone, and the fire burning in her eyes showed that she was on a mission, "What are you doing!?" the woman grabbed Mitchan by the arm and pulled her up to her feet.

Ayame and Shigure just watched, stunned as the woman ordered Mitchan to stop crying, and then another voice rang out from down the hall, "Is she okay?"

And there she was. Peeking her head out the door, her black hair pulled up into a ponytail and her eyes scanning the scene- and that's when she saw him. She was obviously trying to hide her shock, but as she stepped into the hallway in her bright red heels it was easy to tell that she was flustered. It didn't take her long to regain her composure, and the look of shock was replaced with one of skepticism. Then her eyes fell to Mitchan, who was wiping away tears, and then she made eye contact with the dirty blonde.

"Ah!" the blonde let out a yelp as she spun around to face Shigure, "You're him!" she nearly yelled and then looked back at Emi, "Emi it's him!" Apparently the two women's moment of eye contact was enough for this random woman to make some sort of conclusion about who Shigure was.

Before Emi could respond, and with the blonde woman still chattering, realization hit Ayame and he was off down the hallway, "You're the lovely woman who has ensnared by beloved Shigure!"

Ayame quickly grabbed both of Emi's hands, holding them gingerly in his own and making what looked to be uncomfortable eye contact with her, "You are every bit as beautiful as I remember. You may not recall, but it was I who was first confronted by your elegance! If it wasn't for me, Shigure never would have laid eyes on you, and a love would never have blossomed!"

"Okay Ayame, you're scaring her," after escaping the blonde woman, Shigure went and pried his friend off of a confused looking Emi.

"No, no I'm not scared!" Emi quickly interjected, "It's nice to meet you uhh…"

"This is my cousin Ayame," Shigure decided to introduce him, considering it would probably be shorter and less fanciful.

"It's nice to meet you Ayame, and I guess I should introduce you to my friend," Emi's gaze moved past the two men and landed on the blonde, who had taken to comforting Mitchan, "That's Mika."

Once the woman heard her name being spoken she quickly abandoned Mitchan and went to Emi's side, slinging her arm around her shoulder, "Best friends since middle school!" Mika proudly proclaimed before extending her hand, "It's nice to _finally_ meet you, its Shigure right?"

"So I see she's been talking about me?" from the way Mika got so ecstatic at realizing who Shigure was, Emi must have told her about their meeting, the date, the _kiss_. Again Shigure's lips tingled at the thought, but he did his best to ignore it.

"I've been talking about how horrible you are at meeting deadlines, which is why I'm surprised you're here."

Emi was a pro at changing the subject, which Shigure wasn't sure if he liked or not. It wasn't fun if she changed the subject before he could adequately taunt her, or at least make her blush. "Maybe I came here to see you," that got a little bit of color to come to Emi's cheeks, it even made Mika raise an eyebrow, she must have been impressed.

"Or you're here to make Mitchan have a mental breakdown?" Emi crossed her arms over her chest, not about to let him get to her. No fun at all.

"I'm hurt! Here I have been thinking about you only to find that-"

"You've been thinking about me?"

Hook, line and sinker. Immediately her arms dropped from being crossed, and Shigure once again had Emi eating out of the palm of his hand. True, maybe he _had_ been thinking about her, but it wasn't always in the most positive light. But she didn't need to know that.

"Well it has been a while since our last _date_; I thought perhaps you would like to go on another?"

This time she didn't answer right away, either because she was embarrassed because of the small crowd that was watching or she really did have to think about this. "You did say you liked me remember?" he gently prodded, because he wasn't about to let her turn him down.

"You should come to the annual editor and novelist party!" Mika suddenly burst, and if Shigure had seen it correctly he was sure that a flash of either fear or nervousness flickered through Emi's eyes at the mention of this party.

"No you don't have to come," Emi was quick to take away the invitation Mika had extended to Shigure, "Not that I don't want you there, but Mitchan says you have never gone to it before and-"

"So you're talking about me with everyone I see?"

"No!" and that's when the blush finally it Emi's face, and Shigure couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Calm down, I'm only teasing," he patted Emi on the head, which she didn't seem to be too fond of seeing how she scrunched up her nose, "But I accept the invitation," he could visibly see Emi tense up, and he couldn't help but wonder why? What did this party mean to her that would make her so nervous?

"NO! Please! Don't go!" now Mitchan was up off the ground and running towards Shigure and begging him with all of her might to not go to the party, "Stop trying to get involved! I liked it when you never showed up to any of the events!"

"But other novelists will be there correct?" Shigure asked Mitchan, who just gulped and nodded her head 'yes', "Then it is imperative that I go! As Emi's date but of course."

"You're insane," this time Mitchan wasn't talking to Shigure, but instead she directed her comment to Emi, "Completely and utterly insane," she mumbled as she walked off towards her office.

Shigure had to hide his smirk, because no one else seemed to grasp how true Mitchan's words were. Emi was insane; she was a fool to be around Shigure. "So when is this party?"

"Friday night," Mika answered, "But if you really are a novelist you should have gotten an invitation with all the details."

An invitation? Hm. Now that he thought of it Shigure was remembering getting something of the sort in the mail. And if he remembered correctly he had thrown it onto his desk, not even bothering to open it because he never went to any event having to do with his work. "Under the green book near the black pen!"

Shigure's random statement made zero sense to anyone else, but now he was almost positive he knew where the invitation was, and would head home right away and find it. If not he could always call Emi for the details. _I'd much rather just find the invitation_ he thought, recalling his previous phone conversations with the woman. Not that they weren't pleasant, it was just not something he enjoyed. Having to listen to her voice, the awkward silences, the whole game they were playing. Witty line here, giggle there, it was all so fake that it was physically painful. Or maybe it was because Shigure was making it that way. But it didn't matter either way.

"Shigure?" Timid, something he wasn't sure he had really heard from Emi yet.

"Yes?" he asked, noticing how she was trying her hardest to not let whatever emotion she was hiding slip.

"You really don't have to go to the party, let alone go with me. I don't expect you to take me out anymore, it's not like you owe me anything or need to spend any more time with-"

"Shhh," without thinking he placed one finger up to her lips, which immediately silenced her, "Don't be so naïve; I _want_ to go with you so stop worrying so much. Let me be around you okay?"

They stood there for a while, his face near hers and no words coming to her mouth, and in fact they may have stood like that longer if Mika hadn't cleared her throat. The interruption made Emi take a large step back, as if she had just realized how close to the two of them had been. Shigure stayed where he was, that floral scent that he was beginning to associate with Emi fading away as she moved backwards.

"Fine," Emi mumbled as if she were a child, "We'll go to the party."

"Excellent!" Shigure clapped his hands together, "Well now that Mitchan has received the manuscript, you have agreed to go out with me yet again, and I have met your enthusiastic friend I feel I can be on my way."

"It was wonderful to meet you Emi," Ayame bowed slightly, "And you too Mika."

"You too," Mika and Emi said in perfect harmony. A sign of best friends, and Shigure subconsciously hoped that this Mika wouldn't prove to be a problem later on. If this friend was any wiser than Emi then perhaps he would be found out, but he doubted it.

"Well Emi I shall see you Friday, and I suppose you too Mika! Make sure to tell Mitchan that I said goodbye," Shigure stated as he began moving towards the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the elevators.

"Shigure!" Ayame had already begun his descent down the stairs, and Shigure was just taking his first step out from the hall when he heard his name being called.

"Yes?" he stepped back out to the hallway, to see Emi.

"Bye," she gave him a small wave and a smile, one similar to when she first met him.

Suddenly Shigure's lips began to tingle and a thought ran through his mind. He could move towards her and kiss her yet again, he could sweep her up right there in the middle of the hallway. But his feet didn't move, his heart and mind wouldn't let him, because that feeling he just felt was false. He didn't want to kiss her. No, not her, so instead he settled for just saying 'goodbye' and with that he began walking down the stairs, not once looking back.

The streets were crowded as they walked towards Ayame's shop. Neither of the friends said anything for a while, until Ayame broke the silence. "She was really lovely Shigure."

"Who?" he asked dumbly, trying to make a point that he didn't really want to talk about Emi. She was already on his mind more than she should be.

"Do you think that maybe-"

"No," he knew what Ayame was going to ask. If Shigure could ever love Emi, if maybe this was the woman for him. Soul mate. Lover. Everything he needed and more. But the answer was a simple and stern 'no'.

No, Emi would never invade his heart. She would never find favor with him. She wasn't his soul mate. Wicked people don't have soul mates; they just have a longing for that which they can't have.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Did we like? Yes? No? Leave me a review to tell me what you thought! And thank you to all the readers, you guys are the pretty girl to dress up to my Mine (is that creepy to say? Yeah probably, but you get what I mean!) If you guys have any Fruits Basket you are the blank to my blank then let me know in a review and I can use them in the Author's Notes for this story. Until next time, thanks! :)


	6. The Anxiety

_Take a breath, just take a seat_

_you're falling apart and tearing at the seams_

_Heaven forbid you end up alone, you don't know why_

_Hold on tight, wait for tomorrow, you'll be alright_

-The Fray. _Heaven Forbid_.

**CHAPTER 6: The Anxiety**

Maybe if she got drunk _before _the party, then it wouldn't be as awful as she figured it would be. Too bad Mika was keeping tabs on how many glasses of wine Emi was gulping down- because no one wants to have to look after their drunken friend. Plus she didn't want Emi to make a complete drunken fool out of herself in front of Shigure. Emi wasn't happy about this though, in fact she wasn't happy with Mika about quite a few things.

"You don't have to be so nervous," Mika was flipping through a magazine as she sat next to Emi on the large couch. They decided to get ready for the party together at Emi's apartment, then Emi would meet Shigure at his place and they would all later meet up at the party.

"You shouldn't have invited him," Emi mumbled, taking another sip of wine.

"But you know you wanted me too."

"No I didn't, I didn't even want to go let alone with Shigure."

Mika closed her magazine, locking eyes with Emi, "Shigure's hot, and you know it so don't tell me you didn't think of it what it might do to Kohaku. It'll drive him insane to see you doing so well."

Kohaku. That name sent shivers up Emi's spine from both the longing feeling and the intense anger she felt when she thought of him. Kohaku. His brown hair, hazel eyes, broad shoulders, his bright smile. Kohaku. Even now, over a year after it happened, thinking about him made her body become tense and the color drain from her face.

"I don't want to even see him," she couldn't even say his name, that name which she had uttered millions of time before.

"You're being-"

"Overdramatic," Emi had heard this lecture numerous times, but Mika just didn't get it. Mika would never be able to understand the storm of emotions that brewed inside of her whenever she saw Kohaku. Maybe one day she would be able to stand looking at him or talking to him, but not now. Not today, and not anytime soon.

"Plus," Emi started as she placed her glass down on the coffee table in front of her couch, "Why would you think I would want Shigure to meet him?"

"Shigure doesn't have to meet Kohaku! He just needs to be the attractive new boyfriend that will make Kohaku jealous."

Emi hated to admit it, but the thought of making Kohaku jealous did make the evening seem a little brighter. No, she didn't want to use Shigure, and she honest to goodness was trying to move on, but if she had to be in the same room as Kohaku then why not irritate him a bit? Why not make him see what he so carelessly gave up? He let her go. _He cheated_.

"I guess," Emi gulped down the last bit of wine in the glass before she stood up and rolled her shoulders back, "If I have to go to this then I'm gonna look hot, and have fun, and completely ignore him."

"Good for you!" Mika knew how hard this night would be for Emi, but seeing this new resolve in her friend made her feel like perhaps things would go well tonight.

Emi left Mika sitting on the couch as she went into her room to try to figure out something to wear. She had to make a statement, she had to look good. No, not good. She had to look fantastic. The longer Emi stayed staring at the clothes in her closet the more confused she got: who was she trying to impress? Shigure or Kohaku? The answer made Emi feel uneasy, and she started to regret all the wine she drank. Maybe that's what was clouding her judgment.

"Damn it," Emi lay down on her bed, her legs hanging over the side and her hands covering her face.

This whole thing was ridiculous. She should have stood up for herself and not have let Mika bully her into going to this party, let alone let her invite Shigure. Shigure was a great guy, and if Emi didn't play it cool tonight he would be confronted with all of her baggage. And she had _a lot_ of baggage. Plus Emi wasn't even sure _what_ her and Shigure even were! Were they just friendly co-workers? Were they dating? Did he even like her? Or was this all some kind of game to him? So along with trying to figure out what she and Shigure _were_, Emi would also be confronted with what she and Kohaku were _not_. Great. Plus Emi would most likely have to see that home wrecker at the party too.

Before Emi could get further consumed by her thoughts, she heard Mika let out a small screech from the living room. Emi's first thought was that her friend had managed to spill wine on the sofa, but once out in the living room Emi noticed that nothing was soaking wet with red wine. Instead, there stood Mika, her mouth agape and one of their high school yearbooks in her hands.

"I knew it, I mean I didn't know it but I figured," Mika was rambling on to herself before noticing Emi, "How old is Shigure?"

The question seemed odd, especially because Emi had never actually _asked_ how old he was. Come to think of it, Shigure hadn't asked her how old she was either. Maybe they both thought it would be rude, and they were both obviously over the legal age of consent so it didn't really matter. "Uh…25 maybe? 26? I dunno. I'm pretty sure he's older than me, but only by a few years."

"He has to at least be 27."

"Why is that?"

"Because when we were second years in middle school, Shigure was a third year in high school. So that's a four year difference, and if you're 23 then he must be around 27."

"And how do you know this?"

Mika grinned as she showed Emi the page in the large yearbook she was looking in. And there, on the left page was a picture of a young Shigure. Emi ran towards Mika and snatched the book out of her hand. Emi and Mika had gone to an all-girls middle and high school, but right next door to them was an all-boys middle and high school. The two schools got along very well, and to save money all of the schools got the same yearbook. The yearbook was separated in half though, the first half was the girls' middle and high school, and the second was the boys. Emi had never snapped to check if Shigure was in one her yearbooks, because he may have gone to another school. But here, right in front of her, was a picture of Shigure Sohma and-

"That's Ayame and Hatori!" Emi exclaimed, recognizing the other two males in the photograph.

"Let me see," Mika inched closer to her friend and stared down at the picture, and sure enough Ayame was also in the picture, "Yup that's him! But who's Hatori?"

"Him," Emi pointed to Hatori in the picture, "Remember when I told you one of Shigure's cousins drove us to the restaurant? Well it was Hatori."

"So are all the Sohma's this attractive?"

"They just have an awesome gene pool," Emi sighed as she flipped the page, looking for Shigure in anymore photos. She found him in a few more, and Emi instantly knew that if she had seen Shigure when they were younger she would have been head over heels for him. Kinda just like how she was now.

And with that thought Emi slammed the yearbook shut and put it back onto the shelf where Mika had gotten it from. Shigure was just another guy, and Emi needed to stop getting all dazed and confused by his looks.

"Hey whadaya do that for!?" Mika grabbed the yearbook from the shelf, "I wanna see what we looked like," she began flipping through the front of the book until she landed on a page and started laughing, "We look so young!"

Emi hadn't looked through those yearbooks in quite a while, and once she laid eyes on her school picture she was a bit taken aback. She looked like such a baby. Long hair in pigtails, a big grin on her face, and some dangly pink earrings on her ears, but the sad part was that everyone in her grade kinda looked the same. They were all so young and naïve. Those were the good days, before they knew what life had in store for them and where their biggest problem was trying to remember to do their homework.

"What could Kohaku have possibly seen in a dork like me?" She didn't mean for it to come out. In fact she instantly regretted it and instead of talking about it with Mika, Emi just walked away. She walked into her room where she shut the door and collapsed on her bed.

It was happening again. She was thinking about _him_. She was remembering him. Six years of her life that she had tried to bury where now resurfacing. The lies she told herself to get through the days were fading. She missed him, and that scared her. It scared her to think about seeing him, because seeing him would prove that those moments had happened. That he had loved her. And now he didn't.

"Emi? Are you okay?"

Emi wiped the stray tears from her eyes, because she couldn't allow herself to be eaten alive by her memories. She had to move on, because he had moved on. And maybe Shigure was her way of moving on. Maybe he was the answer to her prayers. And tonight when Emi was about to get caught up in thinking about Kohaku, she would be able to look to the man standing next to him. The handsome man who she had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know. The man who actually _wanted_ her. Shigure.

"I'm fine," Emi swallowed the lump in her throat as she got up from her bed, "I'm just changing," and with that she lifted herself from her bed and began readying herself for the night ahead.

* * *

Emi was nervous as she walked up to Shigure's residence, and when she wasn't messing with her hair she was pulling on the hem of her short black dress, or trying not to trip since her heels weren't ideal to be walking through dense forest. Why Shigure lived out here in the middle of nowhere, Emi would never know. Unless she asked. _Note to self: ask why he lives in a forest_. Not to mention that the only light guiding Emi to the house was the moon, and if there hadn't been a path she would have gotten lost. And who knows what creepers are lurking in the woods late at night!

When she finally made it to the door, she was greeted by Tohru, who seemed as cheery as ever. Plus the girl began showering Emi with compliments, and got so sidetracked that it was Kyo who had to get Shigure. And once Shigure showed up the whole atmosphere changed, or at least it did for Emi. Tohru continued on her compliment spree, now directing some at Shigure, but for Emi everything went quiet.

That way Shigure looked at her, it sent shivers up her spine, because of how shameless he was about it. It was if he _wanted_ her to realize that he was undressing her with his eyes. He took time looking over every single part of her body, before finally settling on her face. He would smile at her, or more like smirk, and even when she broke eye contact he wouldn't look away. He could say more with a single look than with a thousand words, and that single look could put color on Emi's cheeks.

"You look lovely," Shigure finally said as he leaned in his doorway, looking as handsome as ever. Not that he didn't look nice in a yukata, but he sure looked good in a suit too.

"Miss Emi, it's nice to see you again," before Emi could respond to Shigure, she noticed Yuki, who had just walked past the door and seen her.

"It's nice to see you again too," truth be told she had only spoken to the boy once before, but it was still nice to see him again. Yuki seemed like a nice, calm boy. An opposite to Kyo who seemed indifferent and on edge. And then there was sweet Tohru, who must have been an angel to deal with those three men. Emi wondered how she did it. _Another note to self_: _ask Tohru how she's still sane_.

"So what's up? Are you two going out again?" Kyo decided to be blunt about it as he looked at Shigure, then at Emi, then back again.

"Well in fact I have some news my three darling children," Shigure stepped out of the house as Kyo and Yuki told him to never call them that again. He took his place next to Emi, slinging an arm over her shoulders as he grinned up at the three teenagers, "We're getting married!"

"WHAT!?" Tohru and Emi had the exact same reaction, but for different reasons. Tohru thought Shigure was being serious, while Emi had no clue why he would say something so random- especially to someone who seemed to gullible (aka Tohru).

"Oh wow, it's so sudden, but congratulations!"

"He's joking Tohru," Yuki pointed out the charade to the oblivious girl, who seemed confused.

"Don't say stuff like that or else she'll believe you!" Kyo yelled at Shigure, who was just grinning, his arm still around Emi.

"He's kidding Tohru," Emi said, noticing how the girl still seemed to need some verification Shigure had in fact lied about being engaged.

"Well with that we better be off!" before he could get yelled at anymore by the two male teenagers Shigure grabbed Emi's hand and whisked her away.

"Have fun!" Tohru called like a mother would to her child who was going on his first date. She must have been the most mature person in that house.

Shigure kept walking at a brisk pace, which proved to be too fast for Emi. One because Shigure was taller than her with longer legs, meaning his strides were already longer, and two because Emi was in heels. She tried to subtly signal to Shigure to either slow down or let go of her hand, which for some reason he was still clinging to. Maybe he didn't want her to fall behind and get lost, or maybe he was just super excited to get to the party, either way he needed to slow the heck down before Emi tripped.

"You better keep up my dear, all sorts of evil lurks in these woods," so he _did_ notice that he was walking too fast for her! But wait…

"Evil?" she questioned, trying to get a good look at his face to see if he was kidding or not, "Whatever, I'm not buying it."

"You've never heard of the crime that was committed in these woods?"

"Oh please tell me your tale Shigure."

He ignored her sarcastic remark completely and instead just started telling her the story, "This guy used to lurk around these woods, watching for women that would be walking alone. He never used to do anything though until one day he snapped."

"Wow, short story, really scary too."

"They found her corpse over there," Shigure stopped walking, let go of Emi's hand and pointed into the dark woods.

"Over _where_?" she took a step forward, squinting her eyes to try to see what he had pointed at, "Hey where is-" as she turned to look at Shigure she noticed that he was suddenly gone.

"Shigure?" her voice was small as she began turning around, trying to spot where he was hiding, "This isn't funny!" she called as her heart beat began speeding up, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't spot him in this darkness. Emi _hated_ being scared, mainly because of how easily freaked out she could get. And right now she was pretty darn freaked out.

"Shi-" before she could even say her name again she heard a loud shout and felt hands clench on her shoulders.

Emi couldn't control the ear piercing scream that left her mouth, or how angry she got when she spun around to see Shigure folded over in laughter. His laughter only increased when he saw the pissed off look on her face. "You're gonna get it," Emi mumbled as she took her cross body bag off and held it like a weapon.

"Wait what?" before Shigure knew what was happening he was whacked over the head with Emi's bag, and immediately he took off running.

Emi wasn't about to let him get away that easy, so she slid off her heels, held them in one hand, her bag in the other and began sprinting after Shigure. When he looked back he seemed shocked, as if he hadn't expected her to actually chase him, and then when he saw her bare feet he began laughing again. "You can't catch me!" he could be such a child, but so could Emi.

Emi was laughing as she chased after Shigure, and noticed how he began slowing down, as if taunting her. He didn't realize how fast Emi could be, and she held up her purse and hit Shigure on the back. She expected him to keep running, or for this to stop, but instead he turned around and gave her this look. A look that said _you better run_.

"I'm sorry!" Emi squealed as she turned around and began hightailing it the other way. Shigure lunged at her, but Emi managed to escape with a cackle.

"Missed me missed me now you gotta kiss me!" she chanted through her giggles. Apparently this little rhyme was enough to push Shigure to move even faster and grab Emi's wrist.

The sudden jolt of being pulled backwards made Emi let out an audible gasp. She dropped her purse and shoes as she was spun around, and before she could catch her breath she felt her lips collide with Shigure's. Instinct took over as she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to press her body up against him, but something was stopping her. One of his arms was snaked around her waist, but the other was on her stomach firmly keeping her at bay. She pushed up against him harder, but instead of backing down he simply bit her lip, as if warning her to stop doing that.

Emi took the warning, and stopped trying to get him to move his hand, but she still found it odd. He had done this exact same thing when they first kissed, and maybe it was just what his way of staying in control. Emi on the other hand was having a difficult time of thinking straight. Kissing Shigure was addicting, and she kept trying to pull away but she _couldn't_. He was like a damn magnet. He was a _much_ better kisser than Kohaku.

And that was it. Thinking of him was enough to make Emi's stomach churn and rob her of any desire she had built up. Nope, thinking of Kohaku was enough to get her to separate from Shigure, and remind her of the reason she was all dressed up tonight.

"You seem troubled."

Was it really that obvious? Emi had tried to keep her thoughts from reading on her face, but apparently she was failing epically at it. So now she would just have to lie, "I'm fine."

He seemed to buy it, or at least dropped it, because he didn't ask her again what was wrong. Eventually things picked back up again, laughter, the memories from those passionate kisses and the want to reenact them. But lurking in the back of her mind was the constant thought of what waited for her inside of that grand ballroom. Kohaku.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So I want to thank everyone who has been reviewing, reading, and just been overall awesome. Thanks so much and I hope you guys liked this chapter and don't forget to review.


	7. The Desire

_White knuckles and sweaty palms from hanging on too tight _

_Clenched shut jaw, I've got another headache again tonight _

_Eyes on fire, eyes on fire, and they burn from all the tears _

_I've been crying, I've been crying, I've been dying over you _

_Tie a knot in the rope, tryin' to hold, tryin' to hold,_

_But there's nothing to grasp so I let go_

-Pink. _Blow Me (One Last Kiss)_

**CHAPTER 7: The Desire**

* * *

Why was she so tense? Why did she refuse to leave his side? Why did all these people keep giving her sad looks? And why the hell did he care?

He wanted to kiss her again. No he just wanted to touch her again; maybe it would take that worried look off her face. Maybe that would make her smile. Man he just really wanted to be alone with her right now.

No. He wanted to be nowhere near her. His lips were tingling. He didn't know why he decided to come here. He didn't know what was making Emi so upset. And damn it he had no idea what he wanted or what he didn't want. All Shigure _did _know was that right now he was stuck in some stuffy room with a whole bunch of smooth talking editors and novelists, all who seemed much more serious about their work than Shigure. Apparently this was a joint company party, the publishing company he worked with and another one. And judging how so many people knew Emi; this other company must have been the one she had previously worked for and Mika currently worked for.

He was constantly breathing in Emi's floral scent, and he could feel her body next to his. That inexplicable warmth that seemed to radiate off her, the way she inched closer to him when someone would brush past her. She didn't move closer to Mika, who was right there as well, no she moved closer to _him_. Did she really think someone she's known for weeks could protect her better than someone she's known for years?

Something was up. Emi was scared, so scared that she was willing to put her trust in Shigure- something she should have known better than to do. Especially because Shigure didn't have time for her problems right now. He had his own stuff to deal with- like why the hell he was so attracted to Emi right now!?

He only had one beer, and there was no way that was enough to cloud his judgment to an extent where he could think that this woman was beautiful. But maybe she _was _beautiful. Maybe he did like her kisses. This thought had Shigure letting out an audible groan.

"You okay?"

She heard it. Damn it she heard the verbalization of his strife, "Of course," he needed a smoke. He just needed to get out of this stuffy room and smoke.

An excuse, he needed an excuse. All the chatter made it hard for him to think, not to mention that the longer he stayed standing next to Emi the less blood was flowing to his brain, "Hm," he mumbled just loud enough to get Emi's attention.

"What?"

Shigure placed his hand over his pant pocket, "Someone is calling me. It is probably Hatori wondering if we will be needing a ride tonight."

"Oh well you better go call him back."

"Hey," he whispered as he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look him in the eyes, "I'll be right back." He knew he needed to say that before he went, because he could tell that Emi didn't want to be left alone.

But he needed some space, some air, and to be able to think for a little bit. He didn't look back once he began walking away from Emi, carefully making his way towards the door. The nighttime air hit Shigure's face, and he took a moment to take a deep breath.

No more chattering, no more drinking coworkers, no more seductive floral scent, just a man, his thoughts, and a cigarette.

* * *

"Hey where'd Shigure go?"

"Outside to call Hatori."

"Oh," Mika whispered as she leaned up against the bar, "You okay?"

"Yeah of course," Emi had both elbows on the bar; leaning back as her eyes scanned the large, well lit roam.

"Cause you look like you just want to run away."

"What does that even mean?" she didn't even turn to look at Mika, because she didn't want to show her friend that in fact Emi _did_ just want to run away.

"You look scared."

She was. Emi was terrified. She had spent this whole night trying to spot him in the crowd, that way she could avoid him. Her plan of confidence had failed as soon as she stepped foot in the door and was confronted with all of her old co-workers. Mika was the only person from her old job that she still kept in contact with, but that was because they had been friends for so long. Everyone else Emi had abandoned, until now. Now they all looked at her with unwanted pity, asking how she had been. They all knew why she left, or at least they had a good idea, yet now here Emi was. She was back, if only for a night, and they told her how good she looked, but that didn't make it any better.

They tried to compliment her, make small talk, but the whole time they were just trying to get some new information to gossip about around the water cooler. So Emi tried to stay away from them, she mingled with her current co-workers, and stayed glued to Shigure's side. Maybe if she stayed next to Shigure then Kohaku wouldn't try to talk to her. He would see her with someone else, and back off. Maybe everyone would back off.

But being with Shigure only brought her more attention, because of how handsome he was. Numerous women would stare at him, whispering and making comments about not only him, but also Emi. If Emi had wanted to make single women jealous, then she did. But they weren't supposed to be jealous, Kohaku was, but now Emi couldn't even find the strength to face him. And in fact she didn't want to have to see him at all; she just wanted to get through this night without any incidents.

"Did he leave!?"

Emi jumped as she heard a frantic voice next to her and turned to see Mitchan, "Hey Mitchan, you look cute," Emi grinned as she noticed the woman who was wearing a loose navy blue skirt with a white top.

"Please tell me Shigure's gone! I've been trying to avoid him all night."

Emi couldn't help but chuckle at how similar a situation her and Mitchan were in, but even if Emi looked nervous, at least she was hiding it better than Mitchan. That woman really did hate Shigure; the mere mention of his name could bring tears to her eyes as she thought of all the cruel things he had done to her.

"He just went outside for a little bit, he'll be back."

Mitchan seemed extremely disappointed in Emi's answer, and immediately hung her head low over the bar, "I need a drink."

"So you're not having fun either?" Emi turned to face the bar, looking at Mitchan who was impatiently waiting for her alcoholic beverage.

"You don't like this sort of thing either?" Mitchan seemed shocked, and felt the need to explain herself, "I mean you just seem so confident and like you would like these social events."

_Is that really what I seem like_? It was supposed to be a compliment, but Emi just found it sad, because right now she was the furthest thing from confident. One man could crumble her down into a ball of nerves. She really was pathetic. "No," Emi answered as she ran her hand through her hair, "I don't really like these things. I'm probably not as confident as you think."

"Well you're confident enough to deal with Shigure," Mitchan took a sip of her drink, "But also dumb enough to spend any more time than need be with him."

"He really isn't that bad."

This statement had Mitchan laughing, "No he really is." That statement didn't really sit well with Emi, especially because she had always felt that there was something more to Shigure, something that she shouldn't mess with.

"But maybe to you he isn't that bad," Mitchan said once she stopped laughing, "Who knows. I mean I think it's impossible for Shigure to change, but maybe you can do it. Maybe he isn't just messing with you, I mean in all the years I've known him I've never seen him spend so much time with one girl, or at least out in public."

For some reason Emi found that hard to believe. Shigure just seemed like the type that would always have a girlfriend, or at least a lover, but was Emi really the first or one of the only Mitchan had seen? It wasn't like Shigure was some sort of awkward person who couldn't get a girl. He was a flirt for goodness sakes, and he was so handsome. It didn't make sense. So what was the reason? Why Emi? Why was he choosing to spend time with her? What did he want out of this?

Things fell silent, Mika had gone to mingle with some of her other friends, and Mitchan had begun ordering a probably unhealthy amount of alcohol. Emi's eyes kept scanning the room, but this time looking for Shigure. He had been gone for a while now, and although she knew he was okay, she just wanted him to come back already. That way they could leave. She had had it with being here, it wasn't worth it, and if she left now then she would have gotten away with not seeing Kohaku.

"I'm gonna go find Shigure," Emi said to Mitchan, who just let out a groan, but didn't try to stop her.

Emi pushed herself away from the bar, her legs feeling shaky seeing how she had been rooted to that spot for about the last hour. As she continued moving she began feeling better, as if all she needed was to get the blood flowing again. She managed to avoid getting dragged into any conversation, which she was grateful for because all she wanted was to just be outside and find Shigure.

* * *

A lot of people had been going in and out, so Shigure didn't even notice when someone else came outside. At least he didn't notice until this person went up to him.

"Excuse me," Brown hair, hazel eyes, an inch taller than Shigure, broad shoulders, maybe a year or two older than him, wearing an expensive suit, "Can I have one?"

He was referring to Shigure's cigarette. "Sure," Shigure let his cigarette hang on his lips as he dug through his pockets, pulling out the box and allowed this stranger to take one, "Need a light?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Shigure figured that once the guy had his lit cigarette he would be on his way, but instead he stayed standing there and leaned up against the building wall behind them. Shigure chose to ignore him, because he had just been in the middle of a deep contemplative moment. About a women. Who wouldda thunk it.

Here is what Shigure had concluded: Emi was hot. Emi was funny. Emi was naïve. Emi was sweet. Emi had a cute laugh. Emi could be sassy. Emi could be a scared little girl. And Shigure wanted to get her alone in a bedroom, but what guy wouldn't?

But he had also concluded one other thing: Emi was not Akito.

And she never would be. He would never have that connection with her, he would never want her so badly, he would never do or be anything for her. Emi wasn't his true love, she was just a woman he was using and who Shigure liked being around. And there was nothing wrong with that. Shigure needed to rethink his tactics, because the whole 'not care at all' thing was not working.

"You came here with Emi right?"

Had Shigure been thinking aloud? No, no he hadn't, but then why did this random guy just ask about Emi? "Yeah," he responded as he looked out of the corner of his eye at the guy, who was still calmly smoking next to him.

"Are you two dating?" this he asked with a smirk, as if he already knew that he was being rude by asking something so bluntly, but didn't care, "She's a great girl," he didn't give Shigure a chance to answer, and instead went off on some other tangent.

"If you two are dating then you're lucky, a hell of a lot luckier than me," he said this with a laugh, but not one of happiness, "I should probably introduce myself huh?" he turned his head and Shigure could easily see the sadness in this man's eyes, "I'm-"

"Kohaku?"

* * *

_Run. Turn around and run. Move. Do something. Don't just stand here. Why did I call his name? What is he doing here? Why is he with Shigure? Run. Move. Don't let him get any closer. Don't cry. Don't get mad. Just run._

Emi wanted to flee, but she couldn't. She was stuck, rooted in her spot as her eyes went wide. Her whole body involuntarily tensed up, and when she wasn't mentally yelling at herself she was reminding herself to breath. But here she was, standing outside only a few feet from him, and he had been talking to Shigure. What had they been talking about? Did Shigure know him? Emi couldn't help but let out a groan as she averted her gaze, turning to look out into the street.

"Emi!" he said her name as if he were laughing it, as if this situation was a positive. She saw him put his cigarette out, and then looked away. She could hear his footsteps moving closer to her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him, until she felt her arm being grabbed.

The smell. That scent that had mixed in with the detergent smell of her sheets. It would linger on her clothes after he dropped her off at her apartment. When she slept over at his house his pillows would smell of it. She would breathe it in every time he hugged her. Just like she was breathing it in right now.

He was warm. His arms encompassed her small frame, and he held her so tightly that her cheek was resting on his chest. "It's good to see you," he breathed right next to her ear, his breath tingling her skin, "I've missed you."

_No, stop it, get off me_. "Stop," Emi mumbled as she pushed herself away from him.

"Still as spunky as ever I see?"

"I guess so," she breathed as she ran her fingers through her hair, "I just don't think it's appropriate for you to surprise hug me like that." _She wouldn't like it. You're hers now._

"Oh," Kohaku let out a long breath as she stuffed his hands in his pockets, "What happened to us Emi?"

The sadness Emi had been feeling, the longing, all those feelings were suddenly replaced by anger. _What happened to us? You happened to us! She happened to us! What happened to us? You cheated._ "I dunno Kohaku, why don't you tell me?" she said it softly, she didn't want Shigure to hear how cold she could be, "And what were you doing out here? Talking to him?" she was referencing Shigure, who had been watching with a critical eye this whole time.

"I just wanted to know who you came with." So he had seen her, he had noticed her with Shigure. But why hadn't she noticed him? "C'mon!" Kohaku let out a laugh as he placed his hand on Emi's shoulder, "I didn't want to see you just so you could be mad at me."

"I'm not mad!" Emi instantly defended herself, not liking when her emotions read so clearly.

This just made Kohaku laugh. And it was a laugh that let Emi know that he was reliving memories, happy times when Emi would defend herself in the exact same way. And if Emi knew what he was thinking then he would now ask a question, "Well," he started as he tapped her nose, "What _are_ you then?"

He always asked that in times like these. It would lighten the mood, and Emi would always answer the same thing: _I'm in love with you_. It was their routine, their inside joke, their charade, but it was all over now. Emi's mouth opened, and then snapped it shut again, she didn't know what to say, so instead she repeated herself, "I'm not mad."

"You should come by the office sometime," Kohaku stated as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "That way Mika will stop taking such long lunch breaks."

She never told him that Mika was coming to eat lunch with her, and Emi was pretty sure Mika would have never told him, "How did you-"

"You act like I don't know you Emi," he grinned, a sad grin, one that hoped for a smile in return, but Emi just looked away, "Well I should let you go back to your _date_," before Emi would respond to Kohaku's little reference to Shigure he was already walking towards the door.

"It really was nice seeing you, maybe next time I'll get a smile huh?"

Emi sighed as she grinned an absolutely fake smile, "There?" she asked once she let her face go back to normal, "Happy?"

Kohaku began laughing, his face lighting up whenever he smiled or laughed, "You're still the same Emi," his eyes lingered on her for a moment before they switched over to Shigure, "Thanks for the light!"

"No problem," Shigure's voice was the epitome of monotone, no inflection, no emotion, just a cold stare that Kohaku seemed to ignore.

"Bye Emi, come see me inside if you want. You'll find me surrounded by the mindless chatter."

He made a joke, so Emi laughed and just like that he was gone. It became unusually cold outside once Kohaku left, and Emi was pretty sure it was due to the tension that was bound to develop between her and Shigure. She could feel his eyes on her, but Emi wasn't sure if she could look at him just yet. She just felt so embarrassed. He had seen her at her worst just now, and he had seen her with Kohaku. Shigure wasn't dumb, he had to know, and now what would he do?

"You're not going to cry are you?"

Emi whipped her head to look at Shigure, her eyes slightly widening as she wondered if she heard him right, "Excuse me?"

"I can't stand people who cry for no reason." Where did this side come from? Why was he looking at her like that? There was no humor, no soft smile, just this sinister look as he moved towards her with a cigarette on his lips.

"I- I wasn't going to cry," she was dumbfounded; she didn't know what to say to Shigure because she hadn't seen this side of him. The cigarette smoke hit her directly in the face, causing her to squint and begin coughing.

"That guy's an asshole," Shigure threw his cigarette down and extinguished it with his foot.

"No he's-"

"You know he is." Emi was going to try to defend Kohaku, for reasons she wasn't entirely sure, but Shigure shot her down, because yes at times Kohaku could be a complete and total asshole.

"Listen to me," Shigure gently took Emi's face in his hand forcing her to make eye contact with him, "You wanted to make him jealous didn't you?"

"N-"

"Shh," he ran his thumb over her lips, sending an involuntary chill down her spine, "Don't deny it. I'm not mad, in fact I admire you. I like that wicked side of you," he leaned in now, placing his lips right next to her ear, "I find it incredibly sexy," he lightly nipped at her earlobe, and Emi let out the quietest of moans, but she knew Shigure heard it, "So let's do what we came here for shall we?" he whispered it, and Emi's head was spinning.

She had no clue how to react to this side of Shigure. It was cold and primal and so different from the Shigure she had interacted with before. But she _liked_ it, because he didn't make her feel bad. Without a second thought he said that it was okay to want to make Kohaku jealous, he became the devil's advocate. Yes it was wrong, and in fact Shigure probably should have admonished her for trying to use him like this. But he didn't, and that scared her. This wicked Shigure frightened her, but she still held his hand tightly as he led her inside. She could still feel the tingling feeling his breath on her neck gave her. Fire. A moth to a flame. Emi was trapped.

* * *

He didn't like sharing. And he didn't give a damn about Emi's past until five minutes ago. But now, oh but _now_ Shigure cared. This was the catalyst. This was the reason he could get invested in Emi. Because Shigure thrived on competition, no- he thrived on winning. He was one selfish man, and Shigure wasn't planning on sharing his pretty little pawn. Whatever relationship Emi had with Kohaku didn't matter; all that mattered is that Shigure would be better than Kohaku at _everything_.

He would be more passionate. He would be more romantic. He would be a better lover. He would erase the name 'Kohaku' from Emi's memory. And when he was done with her, and if she went back to Kohaku it would be Shigure's name she would utter when they were in bed together. Shigure would ruin Emi for any other man, because he had to be the best. Better than Kohaku, better than any man who could make Emi do what Kohaku just made her do.

Emi had yet to look at Shigure the way she looked at Kohaku, and that irritated him to no end. She shouldn't be like that. She shouldn't be in the palm of some asshole's hand. No man should be able to make her tense up like that, no man but Shigure. And damn it Shigure was gonna make sure that when Emi went to bed tonight she wasn't thinking about Kohaku, but was instead thinking of him.

Emi's hand was clammy as he held it tightly and pulled her back into the crowded room. They got a few looks, but Shigure ignored those idiots. He and Emi were leaving, but not after he showed Kohaku who Emi was with now. They moved towards where Kohaku was, and Emi must have noticed because her hand began squeezing his as if begging to stop moving. But they weren't going to go up to Kohaku, no they were going towards the coat and purse rack. Emi needed her purse before they could go, plus Kohaku would be sure to notice what was about to happen.

"Oh," he heard Emi breath once she realized that Shigure had been leading her to get her purse.

As she began searching for her red bag Shigure went up behind her and placed his mouth next to her ear. She flinched, she was nervous, perfect. "You want to make him jealous right?" she didn't answer, she couldn't, "Do you trust me?"

_You shouldn't. _"Yes."

That's all he needed. In one swift movement he spun her around by her waist. The sudden turn caused her to stumble in her heels, but Shigure caught her by placing one hand on her stomach to keep her a safe distance and the other grabbed her by the back of her neck. She let out a gasp right before their lips collided. That sweet taste that Shigure had been craving all night made him instantly moan. She shivered underneath his grasp, her shoulders tensed because she realized how many people were probably watching, among them was Kohaku. But Shigure needed her to forget about all of them and get lost in him.

He decided to loosen the stiff arm he had been giving her to keep her from getting too close to him. He still kept a hand on her stomach, because turning into a dog in front of a room full of people would not be ideal, but he needed to get Emi's attention. And this did it. Instantly she pushed towards him, closing the gap between them to where now merely an inch or two separated their torsos. It was dangerous, it was thrilling, and it had Emi right where he wanted her.

They separated. Both obviously wanting more. That was until Shigure noticed Emi's face fill in with color. He could feel the stares, and as he placed one hand on the back of Emi's back to lead her towards the door he took the opportunity to turn his head. And there he saw Kohaku, with a look that can only be described as pure envy mixed with sadness. Shigure smirked.

Mission accomplished.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I haven't updated this story in such a long time...I'm sorry. I actually wasn't planning on updating but I found this chapter completely done on my computer and thought 'what the hell!' and decided to post it. I really do love this story and I had/have some great ideas for it but right now (January 31, 2013) I guess it is kind of on hiatus. Actually it definately is on hiatus, and for that I apologize but I do plan on finishing this story- it's just gonna take some time for me to get back to it. I'm currently working on a Kakashi/OC fic and I hope that when I'm done with that I can return to this story, because I really do love writing it. You'll know when the hiatus ends cause I'll start posting chapters more regularly.

Yeah but for now please review this chapter to let me know what you thought and thanks to all the readers and for everyone for being patient as I work on other stories before returning to this one.


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